Love and Graduate School Don't Mix
by KaoruPlumBlossom
Summary: What will happen when new nursing graduate students Kaoru and Misao meet some hard-working first year residents named Kenshin, Sanosuke, Aoshi, and Megumi on their first day at the hospital? Can doctors and nursing students fall in love and make it work?
1. Chapter 1: First Day

The alarm clock on Kaoru's phone rang, sending a shrill, tinny tune throughout the room. The miserable 24 year-old flung an arm out of her bedcovers, searching wildly for the phone so that she could hit the snooze button, but it was far out of reach under the bed, and she was forced to get up to retrieve it. She looked at the time on the iridescent screen: 0600, giving her long enough to shower, do her makeup and hair, eat a decent breakfast, and grab a latte on her way to the university. After all, today was her first day of graduate school, and she wanted everything to be perfect.

Kaoru Kamiya was a bright girl, but more importantly, she was a very hard worker. She had finished college with a good GPA, had done well enough on the GRE to be a competitive applicant for graduate school, and had glowing recommendation letters from the faculty members she had helped as a research assistant, and with whom she was very close. Unfortunately, a degree in psychology and Japanese history left Kaoru hard pressed to find a job that paid enough to support her purse fetish, and so, she had decided to apply to graduate school in nursing, and enlisted her best friend Misao to do the same. To their delight, they were both accepted to a prestigious school in San Francisco, and almost before they knew it, they had packed up and moved into a cozy house off campus. After a few frenetic weeks of unpacking and settling it, it was time to begin the intensive, 3-year master's program.

"Misao, I'm _beyond _ready. Hurry up!" Kaoru checked herself out from behind in the mirror one last time as she waited for her sleepy roommate and best friend. She figured that her classes would be filled with mostly women, but it never hurt to look good. The new class was instructed to meet at one of the major hospitals downtown for orientation, as they would start their clinical rotations the next week, and Kaoru had chosen a professional, yet casual outfit that included charcoal-colored, light wool trousers, kitten heels, and a tailored, dark denim jacket over a black camisole. Finally, Misao emerged from her bedroom, smartly dressed in a houndstooth-print, knee-length tulip skirt, a short-sleeved, teal sweater, and black leather ballet flats.

"Hot!" Misao exclaimed as she sized up Kaoru and grabbed her car keys. "Trying to impress the doctors?"

Kaoru snorted. "You mean those arrogant, emotional wrecks? No thanks. I just want to look my best…you never know on the first day, right?"

The two girls hopped into Misao's Jetta, grabbed a couple of triple lattes at the Starbucks a few blocks from their house ("Ugh! We've got to find a local coffee place that serves _real _espresso," Misao scoffed), and zoomed to the hospital downtown, where their new life as student nurses awaited.

Kaoru and Misao looked around the huge atrium of the hospital, where their 40 classmates stood, waiting to be taken on a tour of the facility. It was a modern, beautiful building that had opened just a few years ago in response to the skyrocketing population in San Francisco, and the interior was very impressive. There were extremely high ceilings, walls made of glass, tropical plants everywhere, and a food court that would have rivaled any mall. When their instructor, a firm but pleasant older woman named Tae, took them around to the different units, the girls were no less impressed by the wide hallways, bright colors, artwork, and modern equipment found in each patient's room. "Misao," Kaoru whispered, "This is going to be _so _much fun. We have to go shopping for chic scrubs so we fit in here!" Misao let out a little squeal and nodded happily. Shopping trips always made her excited. Unfortunately, Ms. Tae overheard the girls' conversation and interrupted her speech, saying, "Actually, ladies, you'll all be wearing uniforms that designate you as student nurses from our university. I expect them to be clean and pressed at all times, and your hair should be pulled back away from your face. We can't have it dangling into open wounds!" Kaoru and Misao looked at each other morosely. Hair _up_? _Uniforms_? "It's okay," Misao whispered back. "We can personalize our uniforms with fun accessories…as long as they don't dangle," she added, with a nervous glance at Ms. Tae.

When the group took their lunch break at noon, Kaoru and Misao practically raced to the food court, starving and excited to see what their dining options were. Kaoru settled on sushi, while Misao opted for Italian and bought the biggest piece of pizza she could find. They plopped down at one of the tables and began eating, trying to maintain a ladylike pace, though they both wanted to scarf down everything in sight. Kaoru was about to swallow a particularly large bite of yellowfin tuna when she suddenly heard a charming, feminine laugh a short distance away to her left. She and Misao turned at the same time to see where it was coming from, and stopped chewing when their eyes landed on the most beautiful woman they had ever seen.

She was sitting with three men at a table not far away, and they were all wearing short white lab coats with their names embroidered on them at the chest pocket. The beautiful woman's eyes sparkled a dark coffee brown, and she tossed her dark, silky hair as she laughed again at something one of her companions said. She crossed her legs and leaned in closer, revealing long, porcelain legs and delicate feet. In other words, she was a complete knockout. "Megumi Takani, M.D." Misao read the name on her labcoat. "Ugh, they're first-year residents," Kaoru complained. "They're the _worst_. They're technically doctors, but they don't know anything yet, and they're _so _full of themselves. I hope we don't have to work with them!" She silently regarded the men sitting at the table with Dr. Takani. One was a tall, slim youth with dark, spiky hair and a mischievous glint in his eye as he watched his female companion, one was a silent, unsmiling but gorgeous man with dark bangs that fell into his face, and the last was a shorter, smaller man with flaming red hair and a very effeminate, beautiful face. He struck Kaoru and Misao as the oddest of the group, as his hair was tied back into a high ponytail that seemed uncharacteristic for a physician, and he had a large, x-shaped scar across his left cheek, which made him look a bit like an assassin. He was listening politely to what Dr. Takani was animatedly saying, but the silent one seemed a little bored, and played listlessly with the straw sitting in his drink.

Kaoru glanced at Misao to make another cutting remark about new residents, when she noticed the expression on her best friend's face. Misao's mouth was slightly opened, and she was staring rather pointedly at the tall, brooding doctor as he continued to gaze sullenly at the table in front of him. Kaoru wasn't sure, but she thought she might have seen a little drool collecting at the corner of Misao's lips. "Um, Misao." Kaoru took the girl's arm and shook it slightly, bringing Misao out of her trance. Misao turned to Kaoru and exclaimed, "Oh. My. _God_. Kaoru, do you see him? He is absolutely, without a doubt, the most beautiful man in the entire world!!" Kaoru regarded the group again. All the men were, without a doubt, to die for. She glanced at the man with the scar again, and assumed Misao was talking about him. After all, he stood out the most, and was shorter, like Misao. He seemed like a natural choice for her friend. "The doctor with the red hair? I mean, sure, he's okay. But come _on_, Misao. They're doctors, which means they're going to be horribly spoiled with no personalities, and they probably won't even give us a second look. Forget about it, okay? We can hit the club scene this weekend and meet some people who are actually nice." Misao looked at Kaoru incredulously. "The redhead? Are you _kidding _me? Seriously, I think you might need to get your vision checked. I'm talking about the hottie with his hair all in his face…oh my god, I think I'm actually going to pass out. Literally." She began to fan herself with her hand dramatically, making Kaoru laugh. "Come on, we have to go over and introduce ourselves!" She pulled out some lip gloss and a mirror to check her appearance, when Kaoru grabbed her arm. "Misao, you can't be serious. There is no way I am letting you go over there to talk to those people. We're _students_. They're going to laugh at us and then talk about how stupid we are when we leave. And _then _they'll probably torment us whenever we see them working at the hospital. You are NOT doing this." Misao smiled. "You're right, BFF," she replied. "_We're _doing this!"

Moments later, Misao was dragging Kaoru by the arm over to the table where the young doctors were still sitting and talking, picking at the remains of their lunches. Misao planted herself confidently in front of their table, flashing her most winning smile. A few feet behind her, Kaoru stood miserably, her face already a dark shade of red.

"Hi guys!" Misao exclaimed happily, looking directly at the silent, brooding doctor. "You all are first-year residents, right? That's so exciting! I'm Misao, and this is my best friend Kaoru. We're graduate students in nursing at the university, and today's our first day. Have you been at this hospital long? What are your names?" She finished breathlessly.

The group of doctors stared at Misao and Kaoru for a moment, each with a slightly different expression on their faces. The tall, spiky-haired man and the redhead smiled politely, the sullen doctor looked mildly surprised, and the beautiful woman pursed her lips a bit a smirked. The spiky-haired doctor spoke up first. "Hi, I'm Sanosuke Sagara, and these are my friends, Megumi, Aoshi, and Kenshin." "Pleased to meet you," the redhead added a little shyly. The one called Aoshi inclined his head forward slightly. "Hello," was all he said. Finally, the beautiful woman named Megumi spoke. "No offense, girls, but doctors don't really hang out with the nursing _students_." She pointed to a table of Misao and Kaoru's classmates. "You should probably go sit with your friends…we have some important things to talk about before we go back to the floor." She smirked again and look at Misao and Kaoru expectantly.

Kaoru's temper flashed. She and Misao may have just made total idiots of themselves, but she wasn't about to let some doctor make her feel like trash! "I beg your pardon," she said witheringly, making Dr. Takani's cool gaze falter a bit. "Let's go, Misao. We don't need to waste our time with doctors who have no manners." She began to pull at her friend's hand, when the one named Kenshin stood up and raised an elegant hand. "Please excuse Dr. Takani," he said quickly, sending a disapproving glance at Megumi, who now looked embarrassed. "We were all on call this weekend, and she's very tired. It was great to meet you both. The next time we see you at lunch, we should definitely sit together." His gaze lingered on Kaoru for a moment, who was too pissed off to notice.

"Great," Kaoru said sarcastically. "Can't wait. See you around." This time, she didn't wait for her friend, and quickly turned to walk away. The nerve of that woman! As Misao scurried to catch up with Kaoru, they could hear the doctors talking. "Geez, fox, why did you have to be so rude? Those students were just trying to be nice," Sanosuke exclaimed. "Besides," he added, "You're much hotter when you behave yourself."

"Shut up, Sano," Megumi snapped. "I don't have time for little girls. None of us do. Our fellowship applications are due _next week_, and I'm drowning in paperwork. Ken-san, you understand, don't you?"

"Well, of course I know how busy everyone is, Miss Megumi. But, ah, I do think Sano has a point. As physicians representing the hospital, we should be friendly to everyone, especially to students who may want to work here someday, no?"

"Takani's right." The low, sultry voice of Aoshi finally broke in. "We don't have time to make new friends. This is the most difficult year we're going to have, and we need to focus our energy on work and the future."

From the corner of her eye where they were sitting back at their table, Kaoru saw Misao's face fall. Her temper flared up again. _Stupid doctors_, she thought.


	2. Chapter 2: Unexpected Meeting

Exactly one week later, Kaoru and Misao stood in front of the full-length mirror in their large bathroom, contemplating their appearance. It was the morning of their first hospital rotation, and both girls were extremely nervous about two things. First: working with their clinical instructors at the hospital. They knew that they would be expected to be well-versed in pathophysiology, pharmacology, nursing skills, and developing plans of care for the patients they would be working with, and neither one of them felt particularly confident, despite the massive amount of studying they had done to prepare for their work at the hospital. Second: their appearance, which could only be described as ridiculous. The nursing students at their university had to wear purple scrubs with white piping on the sleeves and collar, and sparkling white clogs. No matter how hard they had tried to accessorize with cute watches and the Hello Kitty barrettes Misao had splurged on, nothing really helped. Kaoru groaned. "We look like _eggplants_."

Misao put a hand on her hip jauntily, and stuck out her tongue at Kaoru in the mirror. "Speak for yourself. I'm a hot eggplant, at the very least."

Kaoru laughed. No matter what happened, Misao never seemed to run out of self-confidence. "We'll see how you feel if Dr. Shinomori sees you in this hideous getup." At that comment, Misao's eyes got wide. "Ughhhh, you're right! How am I going to get Dr. Aoshi to notice me if I don't look my absolute best?"

This time, Kaoru groaned. "Misao, we met him _once_. I don't think you should call him 'Dr. Aoshi' unless you become better acquainted, which will never happen, because he's just another jerk doctor who thinks we're too young and stupid to talk to." Thinking about Dr. Shinomori and their encounter with the other residents from last week still irritated Kaoru, and she silently hoped she wouldn't run into Dr. Takani again.

*****

"Welcome to your first day at the hospital, students!" Ms. Tae exclaimed when the new class had gathered in the atrium promptly at 0630. Your evaluations begin today, so I expect all of you to be in top form. Remember what you've been learning in class, and remember that it's okay to ask questions. I'm going to assign groups of you to different floors, and over the next few weeks, you should become _very _familiar with the diagnoses and management of typical patients there. So, let's see…"

Ms. Tae began rattling off the groups, which she had arranged by alphabetical order. Misao and Kaoru had reason to hope that they would be together, as their last names were Makimachi and Kamiya, respectively. "Okay, Kamiya, Katsura, Leonard, Mason, and Makimachi? You five are on the third floor…that's cardiology." She winked at the group. "It's a busy unit, so be on your toes!"

Kaoru and Misao did a little dance of happiness and relief as they briskly walked to the elevators with the rest of their group. At least they would be together, even if they were working on a difficult unit! When they reached the third floor, the elevator doors slid open to reveal a tall, grim looking figure standing before them, one hand shoved casually into his pocket, the other holding a clipboard. The nursing students instinctively knew that this individual was to be respected…and maybe even feared.

The man cleared his throat. "My name is Professor Hajime Saito," he said dryly. "You may call me Professor, or Professor Saito. I will be your instructor for the semester, and I will assign you grades. You will be punctual, and you will be prepared, or I will send you home. Do you understand?"

The small group of nursing students nodded their heads meekly and replied, "Yes, sir" in unison. Kaoru swallowed thickly. What had she and Misao gotten into?

"Very well," said Professor Saito. "I'm going to assign each of you to work with an R.N. on the unit, and you'll work closely with him or her to take care of their patients. As the semester goes on, I will allow you to become increasingly dependent, provided you demonstrate that you can give competent, efficient care. Until then, I'm going to be on the floor, working with each of you, and making sure that you have some inkling as to what you're doing." Saito glanced down at his clipboard, already looking a little bored at 0700. "Okay, Kamiya…you're working with Tiffany. Katsura, you have Toni, Leonard, you're with Kathy, Mason, you have Patsy, and Makimachi, you'll be with Glenda." Saito gave a little smirk. "Good luck, ladies."

Kaoru and Misao bid each other farewell and good luck with a silent hand squeeze, and then they were off, each in search of the staff nurse they were supposed to work with. Kaoru found Tiffany quickly, and was extremely relieved to find that she was a very good nurse, a patient teacher, and a kind person. She gave Kaoru a detailed report of each of their four patients so that she would know their history and presenting complaints, and gave her handy tips for how to use the computer documentation system, which was extremely confusing. Meanwhile, Misao had been less lucky with her nurse, who was competent but hated having to work with students, and basically ignored her throughout the morning. "Honestly," Misao huffed as she passed Kaoru in the hall a short while later. "Why did this woman decide to work _here_? This is a _teaching _hospital, and she knew having student nurses was part of the gig. How am I supposed to learn anything if she won't talk to me? Ugh!" Misao could be a little dramatic, but this time, Kaoru had to agree, and she sympathized with her friend.

A little before noon, Professor Saito summoned the group to meet at the telemetry station to begin teaching the nursing students about reading EKGs. He explained that every patient on the cardiology floor was connected to a heart monitor, and a nurse was always assigned to watch their heart rhythms in order to make sure everything stayed normal. If something went wrong, an alarm would sound, and the medical team would rush to the patient's room to resuscitate them if necessary. By the end of the mini-lecture, Kaoru and Misao felt like their heads were going to explode. They had tried to write down everything Saito discussed, including concepts like atrial fibrillation, ventricular tachycardia, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd degree AV blocks, and all the drugs and procedures used to correct these problems. Just as they thought the lecture was coming to a blessed end, however, Professor Saito looked up and cleared his throat.

"Ah, Dr. Himura; Dr. Shinomori. Let me introduce you both to the graduate students who will be working with you both this semester. Ladies, these are two of our cardiology residents. They have a few more years of training, but you can learn a lot from them in the meantime by watching them examine patients and formulate their treatment plans."

Misao and Kaoru spun around at the familiar sounding names, and found themselves standing nearly face-to-face with Aoshi Shinomori and Kenshin Himura. Misao gasped delightedly, Aoshi cleared his throat rather nervously, Kaoru stood, tight-lipped and annoyed, and Kenshin gazed at Kaoru calmly. She didn't realize that Dr. Himura's eyes had nearly caught fire when he saw the raven-haired beauty standing before him again, and that he was working very hard to keep his expression neutral and passive. _What is it about this girl? _Kenshin wondered to himself. He wasn't a serial dater, but he knew plenty of beautiful women, mostly thanks to Sano. Certainly Kaoru was attractive, but there was something…different about her. Kenshin smiled ruefully to himself. _Maybe it's the fact that she's always frowning, since we were total jerks to her last week and now she hates us. _Knowing full well that Shinomori wouldn't be the one to speak up, Kenshin took the initiative. "Hello, Miss…Misao, isn't it? And Miss Kaoru. It's nice to see you both again. Shinomori and I just finished our morning rounds. Are you enjoying the hospital so far?"

Misao piped up, eager to make Kenshin feel more comfortable in what was obviously an awkward situation. "Hi, Dr. Himura and Dr. Shinomori! I can't _believe _you both work on this floor, what a coincidence! Kaoru, isn't this awesome? Now we can all be friends! Oh yes, we _love _cardiology" Misao said emphatically. She flashed her beautiful, million megawatt smile at Aoshi, but he merely stated, "Good morning," and then shifted his gaze to the ceiling.

Kaoru couldn't believe it. Her best friend was putting herself on the line _yet again _to be nice to these people, and once again, the tall one was completely blowing her off. Kaoru had to admit that Dr. Himura hadn't really said anything wrong, but the fact that he associated with such an arrogant, silent-type jerk like Dr. Shinomori made her dislike him.

"Excuse us, but I think our lecture is over, and it's time for us to get lunch," Kaoru gritted out through her teeth. "Misao, are you ready?"

Normally, Kenshin wasn't a forward man. In fact, even at age 28, his friends knew him to be a rather introverted person who hated approaching women. But something told him that if he didn't act now, he might never have another chance with the intriguing, spunky girl standing before him. "We're going to lunch too," he managed to say evenly. "Didn't you promise that you'd sit with us next time? I mean," he glanced at Misao with a smile, "If we're all going to be friends."

Misao let out a happy little squeal. Kaoru opened her mouth to make an angry retort. They had promised no such thing! Was this _doctor _trying to make fools out of them? When she saw how excited Misao was, however, she stopped herself. Kaoru knew that she had a tendency to assume the worst about people, and she also didn't want to ruin any chance her best friend might have with Dr. Shinomori, however pathetically small. So, she sighed resignedly. "Fine. Let's all go to lunch."

Kenshin smiled, his first real smile that Kaoru had seen. Her subconscious noted that it made his features soften, and his amethyst-colored eyes twinkle at her gratefully. At the moment, however, all Kaoru could feel was annoyance and dread. Lunch with Dr. Himura and Dr. Shinomori? What were they going to _talk _about? Heart attacks? Atrial fibrillation? As the group of nursing students dispersed, Misao and Kaoru began to follow Kenshin and Aoshi down the hall, back towards the elevators.

"By the way," Kenshin added with a grin, "I really like your uniforms."


	3. Chapter 3: Awkard Lunch

"Himura, you just invited two teenage girls wearing purple scrubs to eat lunch with us. What the hell is going on?" Aoshi muttered to Kenshin as they sat at one of the tables in the huge hospital food court, waiting for Misao and Kaoru to come back with their meals.

Kenshin chuckled. "They're not _teenagers_, they're in graduate school. That makes them at least 22 or 23…probably even older." His mind raced; he didn't want to have to explain to Aoshi that he found Kaoru fascinating, and wanted to get to know her better. "I invited them because I felt bad about how rudely you and Miss Megumi treated them last week, and wanted to make them feel comfortable here." There, that was mostly true. "So," he finished with a dangerous glance at his friend, "Be _nice_."

Aoshi raised a slim eyebrow and narrowed his eyes at Kenshin, the corners of his mouth curving upwards ever so slightly. "Why do I get the feeling there's more to your story, Himura?"

Kenshin smirked. "You're imagining things. You said so yourself…none of us have time to date anyone right now."

Aoshi's smile widened into a rakish grin. "I said we don't have time to make new friends. I never said anything about dating."

A light blush crept across Kenshin's face as he realized his slip-up, but he kept a straight face. "Just don't act like a jerk this time, Shinomori," he said. "The last thing we need is for the nurses on our floor to hate us."

"We're back!" Misao cried, plopping down at the table with a huge platter of sushi that looked like it could feed five people. "Kaoru and I didn't know what you liked, so we got some of everything. Sashimi, rolls…mmm, I forgot we ordered unagi!" She plucked a piece of grilled eel from the long dish with her chopsticks and popped it into her mouth.

"Wow, that was really generous. We didn't expect you to buy sushi for us!" Kenshin exclaimed, looking at the assortment with hungry eyes. "Next time will be on us, okay?" His eyes met Kaoru's, who had sat down directly across from him. He suddenly had to fight the impulse to reach out and graze a hand over her long, black hair, and he quickly laced his fingers together to hide the urge. Instead, he busied himself with the sushi, picking out a decadent piece of spider roll and crunching down on the fried crab legs.

"Ken-san!" the same feminine voice from yesterday suddenly rang out from the other side of the food court. The group turned to see Dr. Takani hurrying towards their table, with Dr. Sagara following not far behind.

Megumi was just as breathtaking as the last time Kaoru had seen her. Her tailored white coat fit perfectly over her black silk crepe skirt and navy blue blouse, and her high heels made her legs appear to go on forever. Her cheeks were flushed pink, probably from a hard morning of work, Kaoru assumed, and she was smiling brilliantly at Kenshin. When she spotted Misao and Kaoru, however, she stopped dead in her tracks.

"Heyyyy, it's Jou-chan and Weasel," said Dr. Sagara affectionately, plopping down at the table and clapping Misao and Kaoru on the back. "What's going on, ladies? Hey, sushi! Mind if I have a piece?"

Amused, Kaoru glanced at Misao, who looked like she might punch Dr. Sagara's lights out for calling her Weasel, however well-intended the nickname had been. Before she could say or do anything, however, Dr. Takani cut in, her smile completely gone.

"What's going on?" she demanded, glaring at the two girls. "Ken-san, I thought we talked about this last week. We need to focus on work right now! What are you doing with these teenagers?"

Kaoru snorted. "Umm, we're 24," she replied icily. "And excuse me, but I really don't know what your problem is. Your friends invited us to eat lunch, so we're eating. That's _it_." Her temper continued to rise. "And it's interesting how the only person whose behavior you really seem concerned with is Dr. Himura. Is he your boyfriend or something? That's the only reason I can imagine why you would keep such a close eye on him."

Kaoru wondered if she had gone too far when she saw Dr. Takani's reaction. The beautiful doctor, whose face had flushed a deep pink, narrowed her eyes into dangerous slits, and she focused all of her venom in Kaoru's direction when she spoke.

"My relationship status is none of your business. Nor are my reasons for wanting to protect my friends from trampy nursing students who just want to marry doctors and be lazy housewives."

Kaoru stood up, her hands unconsciously forming into fists. She was so angry that her teeth were nearly chattering, and she could feel her pulse throbbing at the temples. Seeing the murderous look on Kaoru's face, Kenshin quickly stood up.

"Miss Megumi, you're probably starving—let's take a walk and get your lunch," he said, taking a light hold of her arm and sending an apologetic glance towards Kaoru and Misao, who were entirely too angry to notice.

At his touch, Megumi's features relaxed a bit. "Whatever you say, Ken-san," she said slowly. "See you later, _girls_." Looping her arm through his, the pair walked off in the direction of the pizza kiosk.

Kaoru sat back down, still trembling slightly from anger. Misao, stupefied, finally spoke up. "Um, awkward! What was _that _all about? I mean, seriously…why does Dr. Takani hate us?"

Aoshi, feeling slightly embarrassed for Kaoru and Misao, felt obligated to speak up for the first time. "She sees you as a threat," he said crisply. "She's been in love with Kenshin since our first year of medical school, and hasn't had any other competition until now." He glanced rather pointedly at Kaoru, who completely missed the nuance.

Dr. Sagara, who had been content to watch the spectacle unfold until now, suddenly slammed a fist down at the table, making everyone but Aoshi jump.

"That's _it_, isn't it?" he exclaimed furiously. "She _still _wants him! God, when is she going to get that he _doesn't love her_?" He grabbed a shrimp off the sushi platter and ripped off its tail viciously.

Misao and Kaoru looked at each other. What was THAT about? Aoshi cocked an eyebrow, amused at Sanosuke's outburst. Glancing at his female companions, however, he decided to remain silent.

"Um, no offense, but this is getting a little weird," Kaoru said, finally recovering from her anger. "I think we'd better go back to the floor and finish up our charting."

Aoshi felt a slight twinge of remorse for how awkwardly things had gone. He normally wasn't one for sentimentality, but he felt that he needed to make up for yet another unpleasant encounter.

"Girls…ah, _ladies_, please excuse my friends…this behavior really isn't like them. It was very nice of you to get sushi for all of us, and…Himura and I will try to make it up to you at some point." He finished awkwardly.

Misao's face lit up. "That sounds great, Dr. Aoshi!" she stopped suddenly, realizing that she had just called her crush by his secret pet name without meaning to. Her face turned bright red.

Dr. Shinomori raised his eyebrows. "Dr. Aoshi?"

Misao began to babble. "I mean, Dr. Shinomori! Um, Shinomori-san?" she trailed off pathetically.

Gathering up his things and collecting a still-sulking Sanosuke, Dr. Shinomori stopped briefly, considering Kaoru and Misao.

"Aoshi is fine…unless we're on the floor," he said with an almost imperceptible wink, starting the walk back to the cardiac unit. "Then you'll need to refer to me as Aoshi-_sama_."

When they were alone, Kaoru let out a low whistle. "Misao," she groaned, "We have got to stay away from those people…they're _trouble_. I wouldn't be surprised if Dr. Takani gets us kicked out of school."

Misao, however, was barely listening. Her large eyes were glistening, and she had a dreamy smile on her face. "Aoshi…sama…"


	4. Chapter 4: Night Out

Kaoru lay sprawled out on her queen-sized bed that Friday afternoon, studying for her and Misao's first major exam in pathophysiology. It wasn't until next Wendesday, but she wanted to get an early start because she knew that waking up at 0430 for her clinical rotations on Monday and Tuesday mornings would leave her too exhausted to study effectively. So, she had brewed a pot of green tea in their cozy kitchen with the black-and-white tile floor, snuggled into her light pink comforter, and begun preparing for a test that seemed to cover an impossible amount of material. After four hours of sipping tea, memorizing early and late signs of altered consciousness, feedback mechanisms of the endocrine system, and different types of shock, Kaoru slammed her book shut with a dramatic _thud_, totally saturated with information and completely unable to process another word or fact.

"That. Is. IT!" she exclaimed to no one in particular. Down the hall, she could hear clubby techno music softly emanating from Misao's room. Silently, Kaoru wondered how long it had been playing, as she had been totally absorbed in her work. She padded to her best friend's room and pushed the door open. "Misao? What are you doing? Your music is making me feel like we're in Ibiza!"

Inside, the music pulsated a little louder, and Kaoru began bouncing her shoulders side to side ever so slightly without realizing it. Misao had apparently emerged from the shower a few minutes ago, and was sitting at her vanity wearing nothing but lacy hot pink boy shorts and a matching bra. Her hair was wet and pushed away from her face, and she was beginning to put on what she liked to call her "going-out makeup," which consisted of a dewy complexion and tons of dramatic eyeliner.

Kaoru eyed Misao curiously. "Hey, what's going on? Do you have a date that I don't know about? Why aren't you studying for our test next week?"

Misao gave her roommate a pitying smile. "Kaoru, I love you, but look in the mirror for a second. That's it, go ahead. Give yourself a hard look and tell me what you see."

Intrigued, Kaoru looked at herself. She was wearing an ex-boyfriend's ratty plaid boxer shorts, an old band shirt, and Sailor Moon socks. Her hair was twisted into lots of tiny little bits as the result of her nervous "twirling habit" that surfaced whenever she studied, and when she looked closely…she had to admit that her eyebrows could use a little tweezing.

"Hmm, I see what you mean. I suppose I've let myself go a bit since school started," Kaoru said, pursing her lips. "But what are we supposed to do? There's no way we can keep up with all this studying and work and still put on makeup every day!"

Misao applied a coat of mascara with a flourish, and then brandished the wand in Kaoru's direction. "Nonsense. We're not going to let school take over our lives. Nursing is about taking care of other people, and there's no way we'll be good at it if we don't take care of ourselves, too!"

Kaoru jiggled her shoulders a little more to the music and smiled mischievously. "Does this mean what I think it means?"

Misao winked back and began applying mascara to her other eye. "Get in the shower, Kaoru…we're going out tonight."

******

An hour later, Kaoru and Misao were fully coiffed and ready for their first real night out in San Francisco. Misao had a couple of friends from college who lived and worked downtown, and they had all agreed to meet the girls at one of the hottest clubs in the city.

"I hope they let us in!" Misao exclaimed, adjusting the strap of her top. She had chosen to wear a silver halter that gave her the perfect amount of cleavage without being suggestive ("As if my tiny boobs could ever be _suggestive_," she had laughed at Kaoru's comment at the boutique where she bought it), a clingy black pencil skirt that hit at the knee, and hot pink patent peep-toe heels.

"This isn't L.A.," Kaoru laughed. "I don't think we'll be up against any celebrities tonight. Besides, how could any bouncer say no to _us_?"

Misao laughed giddily. It appeared Kaoru had gotten her old confidence back…and Misao could see why. Her best friend had decided to go with the black French designer bandage dress that had cost a fortune, but hugged her every curve perfectly with bands of stretchy fabric, and gave her the look of a high-class dominatrix. Her hair, which had been pulled back in a lazy ponytail for school all week, was down, and it fell down her back in a wave of shiny darkness. Her makeup was understated but elegant; Kaoru had chosen to play up her eyes with a little liquid liner and mascara, and leave her lips neutral with a smear of crystal clear gloss. In other words, she looked practically edible.

Misao squealed and slipped her arm through Kaoru's as they sauntered out the door. "This was _such _a good idea. I can't wait to start dancing! Hey," she said, pausing to think. "Do you think we should invite Aoshi-sama and Kenshin? I stole their phone numbers from the staffing directory!"

Kaoru didn't know whether to laugh or scold her friend. "Misao! That directory of _personal _phone numbers exists in case we can't reach one of the doctor's pagers _and _it's an emergency! You can't just…_take _them so that we can invite your crush out with us! And besides," she continued indignantly, "There's no way I'm agreeing to that idea. I want a night away from the idea of doctors, and the hospital, and studying. There will be plenty of hot California boys for you to dance with once we get there, you'll see."

"But…but…Aoshi-sama…" Misao sputtered as Kaoru dragged her resolutely to the car. She wouldn't budge; she wanted a night of freedom, and when Kaoru Kamiya made up her mind, she usually got her way.

*****

"This place is _hopping!_" Kaoru cried, looking around the ground level of the three-floor, swanky club that she, Misao, and their friends from college, Tomoe Yukishiro and Sojiro Seta, had just been admitted to by a burly, stoic bouncer. There were three separate bars depending on whether you wanted wine, house drinks, or top shelf liquor, and a huge, transparent dance floor that glowed different colors. Rich leather booths and tables were sequestered all around the perimeter so that people could take a break, have a drink, and watch the action from the sidelines before returning for another round. Kaoru and Misao had chosen vodka tonics, and after a couple of rounds, everyone was ready to dance.

"Okayyyy, let's see what we have here," Misao purred over Kaoru's shoulder. "Anyone you see who looks worthy of dancing with?"

Kaoru's trained eyes scanned the gyrating throng of club patrons. "Hmm, no one really catches my attention. I think we should just get out there are do our own thing—let _them _come to _us_, right?" She climbed out of the booth, and made her way slowly and confidently to the dance floor, with Misao close behind.

They moved to the center of the dance floor and lost themselves in the throbbing trance music, completely oblivious to anyone else. Anyone who was watching the two girls could tell that they loved dancing, and did it for their own pleasure, not to please anyone. Within minutes, Kaoru and Misao were the center of attention, and they were hardly aware of it. They moved with each other, almost as if they were dancing together. A light film of sweat began to appear on their brows, and as the night grew later, the music became even more intense, building and climaxing regularly, with a constant bass rhythm that kept everyone's hearts beating fast.

*****

Across the club, sitting in a different leather booth, Kenshin nearly choked on his dirty martini when he looked up and saw Kaoru Kamiya and Misao Makimachi on the dance floor, swaying and moving so seductively and yet oblivious to the attention they were getting. He could hardly believe that she was here, in the very same club as him, no more than 10 meters away…and she looked absolutely _stunning_. After nearly five minutes of sitting and watching Kaoru dance with his mouth slightly open, Kenshin's companions, Aoshi and Sanosuke, took noticed and waved hands in front of his fixed gaze.

"Oi, Kenshin, what are you staring at?" Sanosuke asked, punching him playfully on the arm. "You almost spit your drink all over me."

Aoshi, whose very keen eyes rarely missed anything, looked up and quickly discovered the source of his attention. "Those girls—nursing students—are here. Kamiya and Makimachi. And they're…dancing."

Sano grinned. "All _right_, Jou-chan and Weasel are here? Let's invite them over to drink with us! We need a little female companionship since Megumi won't come out tonight. Something about having to finish her paperwork." He began to get up to find Kaoru and Misao, but much to his and Aoshi's surprise, Kenshin shot out his hand and grabbed Sano's lean forearm, effectively yanking him back down into his seat.

"Sano. Leave this to me." Kenshin wasn't normally so aggressive, but he couldn't let his best friend ruin this moment. Kaoru Kamiya was the most beautiful creature Kenshin had ever seen, and he wanted nothing more than to 1) continue watching her dance, and 2) dance with her, himself. Not that Kenshin was a huge dancer, but as he studied her slender form swaying to the music, he made up his mind that he _had _to figure out a way to get her in his arms. _It's now or never_, he thought. "Excuse me," he said, getting up and heading off in the direction of the dance floor, leaving Sano and Aoshi behind to order more drinks and watch.

Kenshin swallowed nervously as he walked towards Kaoru. All of a sudden, he felt self-conscious and wondered how he looked. Was his long hair stupid? Did she think his scar was creepy? What if she took one look at his expensive, dark blue button-up and pegged him for a metrosexual weirdo? _I should have had another drink, _he thought grimly. He felt awkward as he approached the dancing beauty, not really knowing how to get her attention, but was nonetheless determined to appear confident. Should he start dancing and accidently bump into her? Kenshin almost laughed out loud at that ridiculous idea. She was so close now…he inhaled and swore he could smell _her, _which he had decided when they met was a fragrance close to fresh jasmine. Without thinking, and totally instinctively, he reached out and put a slender, muscular hand on Kaoru's shoulder, completely shocked at his own boldness.

Kaoru snapped out of her reverie and spun around at the touch. She inhaled sharply to see Dr. Himura, gazing at her possessively with amethyst eyes that seemed tinged with amber.


	5. Chapter 5: Action!

Kenshin and Kaoru stood still on the dance floor for moments that felt like an eternity as the music continued to swell and throngs of fellow club-goers moved rhythmically around them. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Kenshin was vaguely aware that his hand was still firmly locked on Kaoru's slender, pale shoulder, but as he searched for something witty or at least mildly amusing to say, he found that nothing came to mind. His eyes burned as he gazed at the beautiful, perspiring woman standing before him, and he realized that he was smiling a little.

Kaoru, meanwhile, was completely taken aback. She was used to the random touching and grazing that's bound to happen on a crowded dance floor, but not the strong hand that grasped her shoulder from behind. She stared at Kenshin in wonder, waiting for him to explain himself and wondering what he wanted. She was surprised by his appearance, too; at the hospital, his hair was always tied up in a high ponytail, presumably to stay out of his face as he managed patients and attended surgeries. Tonight, however, it was tied loosely back at the base of his neck, with a few loose strands tucked casually back behind his ears. In addition, she noted that his usual trousers-tie-white coat ensemble had been replaced with dark, fitted jeans, a stylish yet masculine button-up, and black boots. He had a small smile on his angular, beautiful face, and Kaoru had to admit that if he weren't Dr. Himura-from-the-hospital, she would have found him attractive.

She cleared her throat. "Um, hey, Dr. Himura!" Kenshin snapped out of his reverie and looked sharply at Kaoru, quickly removing his hand. "Hello, Miss Kaoru. Please, it's Kenshin. I thought we were friends!" He tried smiling again, but having the woman he had secretly fantasized about marrying refer to him as "Doctor" made Kenshin miserable. How would he ever have a chance if she saw him as some stuffy authority figure?

Kaoru laughed, quickly regaining her composure. "Okay, fine, Kenshin. But that means you have to stop calling me 'Miss'…it makes me feel weird, like I'm in grade school and you're the principal."

Kenshin's eyes widened in horror. _Fantastic. She thinks I'm a pedophile. _Kaoru noticed the look on his face and quickly said, "Sorry, I didn't mean to imply that you're a pervert, or something…I just meant that you should call me Kaoru since you want me to call you Kenshin." She smiled weakly, feeling embarrassed and not knowing what else to do.

Kenshin let out a relieved sigh and smiled. "Okay, then…Kaoru."

They stood in silence for several more moments, and Kaoru began to sense Kenshin's nervousness. _What is he nervous about? HE came over here to talk to ME! Maybe one of my patients died and he wants to break the bad news? Ughh, this is sooo not what I need tonight. _

"So, um…what's going on?" Kaoru tried to sound casual, but standing in the middle of a dance floor on a crazy Friday night in downtown San Francisco with Dr. Kenshin Himura was beginning to feel a little weird.

Kenshin internally winced a little, realizing how uncomfortable Kaoru must feel just standing there. He inhaled sharply, and quickly asked the question that had been burning in his mind all evening, ever since he noticed her from across the club. "Would you like to dance?"

Kaoru's stood, dumbstruck. That was the _last _thing she had expected Kenshin to say. She quickly recovered, however, and weighed the options. _Who does he think he is, trying to be friendly after everything that's happened with those jerk doctors? Is he trying to schmooze with me so I won't complain to the hospital about the others? How dare he try that political bullshit with me? But…what if he really just wants to be friends? Ughhh…okay, Kamiya, one dance. Just keep it casual, no harm done._

She kept her expression pleasantly neutral, and looked Kenshin directly in the eye. "Sure, why not?" she said lightly. "Other than study and work our asses off, dancing is what Misao and I do best." Without waiting for Kenshin to initiate any kind of physical contact, she closed the space between them and slid her arms around his neck.

Kenshin's senses nearly exploded as Kaoru stepped into his personal space and began to move rhythmically to the music, which had mellowed a little and was pulsating softly. Somehow, the scent of sweat mingled with Kaoru's own fresh jasmine scent was even more arousing than her normal fragrance, and Kenshin had to fight the urge to lean forward and gently lick the beads of perspiration that had collected on her graceful neck. Kaoru found it difficult to focus on his intense, amber-tinged gaze at such close proximity, and so she kept her deep blue eyes focused slightly past him, trying to guess his intentions for wanting to talk and dance with her, and not noticing the effect she was having on him. The music picked up again slightly, and Kaoru turned, dancing flush against Kenshin with her back to him, relieved that she didn't have to face him for a few moments. Within moments, his hands, which had been resting lightly on her back, slid down and grasped her hips firmly, and he easily kept up with her as she moved. In spite of herself, Kaoru found herself admitting that Dr. Himura—Kenshin—was a good dancer. She felt his warm, moist breath on her neck, and closed her eyes, allowing herself to relax and forget about ulterior motives for a few minutes. Sensing her relaxation, Kenshin unconsciously slid one of his hands from her hip to rest on her firm, flat stomach, pressing his fingers lightly into her flesh and making Kaoru moan too softly for anyone to hear above the music. _Too much, _she thought. _Get a hold of yourself…get back in control._ Turning around to face Kenshin again, she trailed her hands up his slender, muscular arms to rest lightly on his chest, effectively putting a little distance between them.

Experiencing Kaoru's swaying hips and firm stomach had nearly made Kenshin lose control; feeling her hands on his arms and chest proved more than he could stand. Without pausing to think, he grasped Kaoru's hands and wrapped them back around his neck, effectively closing the space between them. He snaked his arms around her waist and pulled her against him, aware of the heady mixture of joy and anguish he experienced as he felt _all _of her at once, and yet realized that she wasn't his to savor. All around them, envious male eyes followed Kaoru's form and then quickly looked away when they met Kenshin's nearly feral amber gaze.

Kaoru felt an unexpected jolt of desire when Kenshin pulled her up against his lean, muscular body, and she quickly pushed herself away from him, effectively ending the dance. Kenshin looked at her, a mixture of curiosity and hurt mingled on his face. "Is everything okay?"

Kaoru wiped her long, sweaty bangs off of her face and looked away, slightly embarrassed. "Yes, fine…listen, Dr. Himura—Kenshin—it was fun…but…this probably isn't a good idea. I don't want to give anybody the wrong impression, and no offense, but I don't think your girlfriend would like it if she saw us dancing. It's just not…professional, you know?"

Kenshin stood, dumbstruck. "Girlfriend?"

Kaoru blushed a magnificent shade of pink. "Um…Dr. Takani."

Much to Kaoru's surprise, Kenshin laughed, momentarily relieved. "Kaoru, Miss Megumi and I are just friends. We've known each other for years, and all of us—Sano, Aoshi, Megumi and I—went to medical school together. I guess you could say we have history. Look," he said, taking a step closer to Kaoru. "I'm sorry we got off to a bad start at the hospital. But you—and Misao—are awesome, and...I'd love to take you to dinner sometime." He could barely believe what he had managed to say, and tried not to look too hopeful.

Kaoru couldn't believe her ears. _THAT'S what this is all about? He wanted to ask me out? _She didn't know how to feel. On the one hand, his request was intriguing, and she felt a pang of attraction similar to how she felt when he had pressed his strong fingers into the flesh of her stomach. On the other hand…_He's a doctor. I'm a student. If anyone heard about this, I'd be the laughing stock of our class…people wouldn't take me seriously. _The realization was too much for her to handle. She needed to get out of there, and fast. "Kenshin, I'm sorry…this is just getting too weird. You and your friends—Aoshi and Sano, at least—are really nice, and…I'd like to be friends. But, I think we need to keep things professional between us. I'll…talk to you later." She finished crisply, not leaving any room for argument in her voice. Before Kenshin could respond, she hurried off to find Misao, Tomoe, and Seta.

*****

Kaoru discovered her friends huddled in a booth, laughing hysterically and smelling as though they had just finished their sixth or seventh round. Misao saw Kaoru and waved her over, her eyes shining brightly.

"I TOTALLY saw you dirty dancing with Kenshin!" she cried happily, flinging an arm around Kaoru's shoulder as she sat down. "I didn't even see him! Did he come by himself? I was going to dance over and say hi, but you two looked _really _busy!"

"He came with Sano and Aoshi," Kaoru quickly replied, hoping that Misao was too drunk to pay any attention. "Are you guys ready to leave? It's almost 2:00, the club's going to close soon…and I'm totally wiped out."

Misao straightened up immediately. "Dr. Aoshi is _here_? Kaoru, why didn't you TELL me? I have to go over and say hello…but…" she leaned in confidentially and loudly whispered, "I'm a little tipsy."

Kaoru rolled her eyes. "No kidding. Look, you go if you want. I've had enough for one night. Why don't I just catch a cab, and we'll meet at home?"

"Nooooo, you can't leave without meee," Misao whined, draping a slender leg across Kaoru's lap. "I _guess _I don't have to say hi to Dr. Aoshi…I mean, I don't want him to think that I'm _drunk_."

Kaoru laughed. "In that case, I think leaving is definitely a good idea."

*****

Ten minutes later, Misao and Kaoru had said goodnight and parted with Tomoe and Seta, and were walking back to their car. Misao's arm was wrapped around Kaoru's shoulder, and she leaned on her best friend heavily. As they turned onto the isolated side street where Misao's Jetta was parked, Kaoru realized that they were alone, and that they should hurry and get to the car. San Francisco was a pretty safe city, but you never knew.

Luck, unfortunately, was not on their side. A few moments later, the girls heard noises. Almost as if on cue, a group of shadowy figures emerged from the darkness about 20 meters ahead of them, smoking and joking loudly. Kaoru didn't know whether they had been at the same club, but she could tell they were drunk almost immediately. She gave Misao a light slap on the arm to make her friend straighten up as they continued the walk to the car. _Don't attract attention_, she told herself. _Don't let on that Misao is drunk. Just get to the car_.

It was too late. "Heyyyy, ladies!" One of the figures drawled. "Where are you off to in such a hurry?" As they approached, Kaoru saw that the group consisted of four tall, athletic men who reeked of beer and cigarettes. She thought they looked like dumb frat boys from the university. "Misao, don't say anything," Kaoru hissed, as her friend opened her mouth to make a characteristically sharp reply. "Just ignore them, we're almost there."

Faster than she had expected, however, the group of men had reached Misao and Kaoru. They blocked the way ahead, effectively preventing the girls from getting to their car. "Not so fast," one of them said, grinning wryly and taking a step closer. "My friend asked you a question. Where are you two headed so late at night? It's not safe for girls to be out alone after the bars close." He winked at his friends, who chuckled.

For the first time that night, Kaoru began to experience real fear. She wasn't sure whether these men were just drunk and looking for trouble, or whether their intentions were darker. If things became physical, she didn't think she could handle four at once—especially as she would also have to defend Misao, who she thought was pretty much incapacitated at that point. She stood straight and squared her shoulders, looking directly at the man who had spoken. "We're going home. Please move out of the way so we can get to our car." Kaoru was careful to speak firmly, but politely—she didn't want to risk angering the men, which could make the situation worse.

"Hmm, I don't know," the leader continued. "You two look like fun. Maybe you should hang out with us for a while." He took a step closer and extended a hand to try and brush a long wisp of hair behind Kaoru's ear. Kaoru knew that Misao was in no position to run. Should she scream? She glanced around…there was no one in sight. Her fingers began to tingle with adrenaline as she realized that she would have to stand her ground. Giving up on politeness, Kaoru assumed a fighting stance, her hands forming into tight fists. "Don't you _dare_ fucking touch me," she grated out between clenched teeth.

The man's leering smile vanished instantly, to be replaced with a dark scowl. After a few silent moments, he smiled again, dangerously. "If that's the way you want it," he replied softly. Still chuckling, his friends slowly began moving in closer to surround Kaoru and Misao. Kaoru tried to keep her breathing even, but her heart was beating wildly and her mouth felt incredibly hot and dry. Desperate, she gave Misao a rough shove. "Get out of here," she cried. "You can't help me like this…run!" But Misao, who had sobered up enough to understand the gravity of the situation, stood her ground and gave Kaoru's hand a squeeze. "I'm not going anywhere," she whispered. "Whatever happens, we're in this together." Both girls braced themselves, and prepared for the worst.

"Hey." A voice behind the men rang out in the darkness, instantly stopping the men in their tracks. They spun around, their anger and aggression transferred to whomever had interrupted their fun with Kaoru and Misao. Intensely relieved, afraid, and curious, Kaoru craned her neck to see who the voice belonged to, but she couldn't see over the thugs' heads.

"If you want to live, walk away," the new voice continued, low and dangerous.

"Who the hell are you?" The leader of the frat pack spat out. "Theses girls are with us. Mind your own fucking business." He and his crew started towards the voice, and suddenly, Kaoru and Misao caught a glimpse of its owner.


	6. Chapter 6: Rescue

_Twenty Minutes Ago…_

Kenshin watched as Kaoru and Misao headed for the club exit with their friends, and then part ways with Tomoe and Seta. He sipped the remnants of his third whiskey slowly, a dark expression beginning to form on his face as he noticed the two girls leaving alone. It was almost 2:00; the bars would be closing soon, and all kinds of drunk, rowdy men would be on the loose as they made their way to the metro. What if some pervert tried to hit on Kaoru? Or worse—what if the girls were mugged? Kenshin's grip tightened involuntarily on his glass, and when Aoshi glanced over, he noticed that Kenshin was visibly scowling. Aoshi cleared his throat.

"We should be heading out, Himura." Kenshin snapped out of his trance to see Aoshi rising from the booth, gathering his things. "I'm sure you noticed, but Kaoru and Misao left the club alone. Perhaps we should…" his voice trailed off as Kenshin jumped up, slapping a still sulky Sano on the shoulder to indicate that he should follow suit. "I was just thinking the same thing," he said quickly. "Come on, before we lose them."

The streets were fairly isolated; the barhoppers were undoubtedly crowded into the many pubs and clubs that lined the streets, throwing back one last shot before they would have to leave for the night, and the three men had no difficulty spotting Kaoru and Misao some distance ahead. Anyone could see that Misao was very drunk; she was leaning on her friend heavily and laughing too loudly, though they couldn't make out what she was saying. Aoshi sent a sideways glance towards Kenshin. "Should we let them know we're following them?" Kenshin groaned inwardly. _Yeah, absolutely. Anything to make Kaoru think I'm even more obsessed with her than I already am._ "No," he replied firmly. "They'll be okay—I just want to see them get to their car, and then we'll walk away."

It was only moments later that they noticed the strange men approach Kaoru and Misao at the same time, and they stopped dead in their tracks. Kenshin's eyes narrowed dangerously, and he instantly knew something was wrong. He couldn't hear what the men were saying, but he noted Kaoru's defensive stance, and the way she protectively held her arm out in front of Misao.

Sano's sour mood lifted instantly as he regarded the scene, and he grinned rather savagely. "They're looking for trouble," he said. "Look at how they've got Missy and the Weasel cornered…these aren't just average frat kids. They've done this before."

Kenshin nodded, silently acknowledging Sanosuke's ability to size up any situation quickly, especially if it looked like fighting would be involved. "Let's get closer," he muttered. They continued to approach the group unnoticed from behind, when they suddenly heard Kaoru's voice pierce the darkness.

"Get out of here!" she cried. "You can't help me like this…run!" Kenshin's vision went blood red when he heard the fear in Kaoru's voice, and he promised himself he would make every one of those men pay…dearly. It took every ounce of self-control to quell the rage building within him enough to speak.

"Hey." His voice was deeper than usual, and murderous. It had the intended effect; the frat pack immediately stopped and turned around to face Kenshin, Sano, and Aoshi.

"If you want to live, walk away." Instinctively, some of the men began to slowly back up. The one who Kenshin assumed to be the leader, however, was bolder, and he stepped forward.

"Who the hell are you? These girls are with us. Mind your own fucking business." He and a few of his friends continued to advance a bit, and as they stepped forwards, Kenshin locked eyes with Kaoru.

His breath caught in his throat. Kaoru's pretty face was absolutely _white_, and she was noticeably trembling, even as she held her fisted hands in front of her, ready to fight if necessary. He felt an enormous swell of compassion as they stood there, regarding each other from several meters away, to be replaced by an equally powerful swell of pure, uncomplicated rage.

Kenshin's eyes glittered. "I'm going to kill you," he whispered. Mildly alarmed, Aoshi stepped forward. "No need for that, Himura," he muttered, almost amused. "We can handle this without a murder charge. Sano, you've had a shitty night, what with Megumi and all…why don't you do the honors?" Sensing the possibility that his friend might lose control, Aoshi placed a protective, and restrictive, hand on Kenshin's tensed shoulder.

Sano cracked his knuckles and chuckled. "Thanks, Shinomori…I could definitely use some cheering up. Oi," he called to the leader of the men, who was regarding Sano's tall, lean, muscular form uncertainly. "You picked the wrong night, and the wrong girls. And now…you get me." He continued towards the leader almost casually, who was now rooted in place, prepared to fight. Sano sighed as he reached his opponent. "Great…you've clearly had no formal training at all. I'm not going to waste my time with this." With a single, fluid movement, Sano lunged forward and head-butted the man, his hands still shoved casually into his pockets. Almost soundlessly, the man dropped to the ground, with only a sickening _thud_.

"Hmm…I only feel a little better. Who's next?" Sano faced the three other men standing a short distance away, who were glancing at each other nervously. "Um…hey, look, there's no problem here. We're taking off," one of the remaining men finally muttered. The others nodded in agreement and backed away slowly, before turning and running off into the darkness, leaving their leader unconscious on the pavement.

*****

Kaoru's fists dropped weakly to her sides as the last of the men disappeared. The rush of adrenaline, which had previously enabled her to stand her ground so bravely, began to subside, and her body began to tremble uncontrollably as a result. _Don't cry. I'm not going to cry_, she thought, even as small tears of relief and anger began to prick at the corners of her deep blue eyes. She glanced from Sano, who looked smug, to Aoshi, who was regarding both girls with restrained sympathy, and finally to Kenshin, whose amber eyes seemed to match his fiery red hair. She felt a little weak, and her knees began to wobble. She began to sink to the ground.

"Kaoru!" Kenshin reached Kaoru in a few quick strides, and threw an arm around her waist to support her against falling. His voice, which had been so low and deadly before, had become calm and soft again. "It's over, everything's alright. Let's lie down for a few moments until you feel well again, okay?" Continuing to brace Kaoru's weight against him, he helped to lower her gently to the ground, placing her head in his lap. He ripped off his leather bomber and stuffed it underneath her calves, effectively elevating them to increase blood flow to her brain and prevent her from fainting.

Kaoru's eyes fluttered; she was vaguely aware that her head was in Kenshin's lap, and that his now-violet eyes were staring at her intently. His strong, slender hands gently held either side of her face, and every now and then, he would brush a stray hair away from her eyes as the breeze began to pick up. After a few minutes of this, he smiled a little.

"Your color is getting better…maybe you won't faint, after all." Kaoru managed to smile back. "I'm embarrassed…" she began, and seeing Kenshin's look of protest, she quickly continued. "And so relieved. I don't know how you knew we were in trouble, but I don't know what would have happened if…" She sighed, fighting back tears once again. Kenshin was nearly overwhelmed with feeling as he watched Kaoru struggle with her emotions, and he wanted _so badly _to tell her that he would protect her—and Misao, for that matter—forever. Swallowing thickly, he restrained himself. Instead, he replied, "It's okay…we _were _here, and you're safe now. Please, try to relax…"

*****

Misao had reacted to the situation much differently than Kaoru. She had sobered up quite a bit to know that she and Kaoru were in real danger just minutes ago, but as soon as she saw that Aoshi, Kenshin, and Sano had arrived, she felt relief wash through her, and the effects of her drinking continued to muddle her senses a little bit. As Sano began to dispose of the gang leader, Misao began to feel emotional, and…a little bolder than usual.

Kenshin sensed movement, and looked up from Kaoru in time to see Misao, clearly still a little drunk, run towards Aoshi to throw her arms around his neck. "Aoshi-sama! You _came! _Oh my God, we were in serious trouble…how did you _know_? I'm soooo glad you're here, Dr. Aoshi…" Misao cried breathlessly, continuing to cling to a very surprised Aoshi. Without thinking, his arms instinctively snaked around her small waist, pulling her close. "It's…okay now," he mumbled awkwardly. His dark hair hung in front of his face, masking his features as he bent his head lower to watch Misao, who was still clinging to his trenchcoat. Kenshin couldn't help but chuckle. As long as he had known Aoshi, he had never seen him openly display affection towards a girl. _What is the world coming to? _He thought off-handedly.

"Oi, Kenshin," Sano called. "I think we'd better drive these girls home…Weasel's still drunk, and Missy looks like she could use a little help, ne?"

Kenshin looked down again, and discovered that Kaoru had fallen sound asleep with her head still in his lap. "Sounds like a good idea," he replied, trying to ignore the warmth that her breath was creating as she exhaled. He suppressed a shiver.

"Hey, Shinomori! I hate to interrupt, but I need to ask Misao where she and Kaoru live so we can give them a lift." Sano looked expectantly at Aoshi, who gently released Misao. More softly than usual, he asked, "Misao, can you give us directions to your house? We need to take you and Kaoru home."

A look of panic crossed Misao's face. "Oh _no_," she groaned. "We followed Tomoe and Seta in their car to get to this club…and…I have no idea how to get back home from here. I sort of figured we would just drive back towards campus until things started to look familiar." She smiled weakly.

Aoshi looked at Kenshin, who quickly glanced towards Sano. It was getting late, and Kaoru was already passed out from the exhaustion of the evening. Kenshin's mind was made up, but it was Sano who spoke first. "Well, looks like you're coming home with us tonight. I'm _beat_."


	7. Chapter 7: Surprises

"Tadaima!" Sano called as he opened the front door to the large apartment he shared with Kenshin and Aoshi. Behind him, Aoshi trudged in, supporting Misao with one arm as she teetered after him. Finally, Kenshin entered, followed by Kaoru, who was groggy but awake.

Aoshi rolled his eyes. "Sagara, no one else lives here. Must you always yell that whenever we walk in the door?"

Sano grinned. "Force of habit, I guess. Reminds me of being home, and having my parents around…" he trailed off wistfully. Silently, Aoshi regretted his comment. Sano's parents had been killed in a car accident near their home in Tokyo two years earlier, and though he seldom talked about it, his closest friends knew how devastated he had been, and how alone he felt now.

Kaoru didn't know anything about Sano's past, but when she heard him mention his parents, she assumed he was homesick. Rather wearily, she placed a hand on his shoulder. "Okaerinasai," she said softly, smiling cheerfully. She wasn't at all thrilled by the idea of spending the night with three male doctors from the hospital where she and Misao worked as nursing students (_If anyone at school finds out about this, we'll never be able to show our faces again_, she inwardly groaned), but she had grimly agreed with Sano as he had explained the situation on the drive home: Misao was in no condition to ride around San Francisco looking for her and Kaoru's apartment, and Kaoru was still rather shaken and exhausted from their dramatic night out. And so, fifteen minutes later, they had pulled up to a very tall, posh apartment building downtown, handed the car keys over to one of the valet attendants, and taken an elevator to the twenty-ninth floor.

Sano beamed at Kaoru's words, and Kenshin noted that in place of his usual smirk was a very genuine smile. From behind them, Misao let out a little gasp. "Ooooooh," she breathed in delight. "This place is _amazing_." Silently, Kaoru agreed with her friend. The apartment was airy, spacious, and modern, with vaulted ceilings, bamboo floors, and dark, modern furniture. The whole thing was…_masculine _without being obnoxious. The entire northern wall was made of glass, and outside, she could see a large wraparound balcony with lounge chairs, and a dark sky full of bright stars. She couldn't help but try to guess what the rent for a place like this in downtown San Francisco would be, even split between three people. _How do they afford this apartment? _She wondered. _They're only medical interns…it's not like they're making millions._

As if sensing her awe, Aoshi cleared his throat. "My uncle owns the building," he said, with a sidelong glance at Kaoru and Misao. "He's giving us a _really_ good deal to live here while we're in school, as long as we take really good care of the place."

Sano chuckled. "There's no way we could afford to live here if we didn't have a connection. I think we're all about 200 grand in debt, and we'll basically be making the equivalent of $12 an hour all the way though our residencies, _and_ working 80-hour weeks. Some glamorous life, huh?"

Finally, Kenshin spoke up. "We chose to go to medical school so we could help people. Doctors usually make pretty decent money regardless of what specialty they choose, so it's not like we're worried about paying off our loans once we're done with school…but for now, we're fairly poor, just like other graduate students."

Misao let out a little sigh. "That's a huge relief!" she exclaimed happily. "You're like normal people, only…you live in this swanky place! Now we won't be ashamed to invite you all over to _our _tiny little apartment for dinner! I'm a really good cook. Kaoru…can just serve drinks!" Kaoru flushed and shot a little glare at her friend. Whenever Misao drank, she tended to have a big mouth.

Kenshin smiled. "Kaoru, you don't like to cook?"

Kaoru spun around. "Yes I do!" she cried hotly. "I just…tend to ruin whatever I make. I can boil water to make tea, but somehow even that ends up tasting burnt."

"Hmm…I bet you're turning the heat on too high to begin with. For tea, and especially more delicate teas like jasmine, you have to bring the water to a boil slowly. Have you ever tried that?"

Kaoru blushed even more furiously than before. "No…I haven't. Thanks for the tip." Her voice sounded a little dejected, and Kenshin suddenly worried whether his tone had been condescending. "I'm sorry," he began. "I didn't mean—"

Kaoru sighed and smiled, resigned. "It's okay. I get a little sensitive about it, probably because…it's true. I'm a really horrible cook."

Kenshin's mind raced, trying to think of a way to recover the situation. "Maybe tomorrow morning we can make breakfast together, and I can give you a few pointers…I make really good Belgian waffles."

Kaoru suddenly remembered that she and Misao were spending the night with Kenshin, Sano, and Aoshi, and she blushed for what felt like the millionth time that night. "Um, speaking of tomorrow morning, maybe we should figure out where Misao and I are going to sleep? It's already 3:30. Aren't you tired, Misao?" She elbowed her friend, who was leaned against one of the granite kitchen counters, gazing longingly at Aoshi's trench coat draped over a barstool a few feet away.

Misao snapped to attention. "What? Oh, yeahhhh, I guess so. Even though standing around talking is so much fun!" she exclaimed. "But you're right, Kaoru-chan." She turned to Kenshin. "Is there a guest bedroom for us to sleep in?"

Kaoru groaned inwardly. If Misao was calling her Kaoru-_chan_, then she was definitely still drunk. Rather absently, she wondered how bad her friend's hangover would be the next day.

Kenshin shifted uncomfortably at Misao's question. "Ahhh…" he began, but Sano cut in. "There's a spare bedroom, but it's full of exercise equipment and junk. I guess we should have figured this out earlier…whenever guys stay here, they just crash on the couch or the floor."

"They're not sleeping on the floor," Aoshi broke in. "That's ridiculous; we all have beds. Kaoru and Misao, you can sleep in my room, and I'll take the couch." Kaoru started to protest, but Misao jabbed her sharply in the side. "Ohhhh, Dr. Aoshi, that is _such _a nice offer. Thank you _so _much. I'm sure your bed is very comfortable!"

Sano choked back a laugh, and it was Aoshi's turn to flush. Apparently Misao didn't realize how suggestive her comment had been, because she continued to smile cheerfully.

Kenshin, on the other hand, wasn't about to let Aoshi steal his thunder. "I'll sleep on the floor, too," he said quickly. "That way, Kaoru can stay in my room and nobody will have to share a bed."

Aoshi shot Kenshin an amused look, clearly perceiving the eagerness in Kenshin's voice. Kenshin ignored his roommate. This might be the only time Kaoru Kamiya would be in his bed, leaving her scent imprinted on his sheets, and maybe even leaving a long, silky strand or two of her black hair behind on his pillow. The thought was intoxicating.

Kaoru considered the offer. "Well…that's really thoughtful of you, Kenshin, but I'd hate for both of you to sleep on the floor. I can sleep with Misao, even though…" she trailed off, catching herself before she admitted that Misao liked to thrash around the bed, talk in her sleep, and hog the covers.

Kenshin felt like a man on a holy mission. "Absolutely not," he replied firmly. "As our guests, I insist that you be as comfortable as possible." _Man, I am going to hell_, he thought. Of course, he wanted both girls to sleep well and be comfortable…but imagining Kaoru half-dressed, wrapped in his fluffy comforter with her lips slightly parted as she slept…was more than reason enough to sacrifice his bed for the night.

Kaoru smiled. "Okay then, if you're sure you don't mind. Lead the way, Kenshin."

*****

Kenshin swung open the door to his bedroom, revealing a large, minimalist space with a traditional platform bed, a steel desk with a sleek black laptop, two bookcases piled neatly with a combination of medical texts and classical literature, and in the far corner by a large window, a small personal shrine featuring a statue of the Buddha, two picture frames, and a tiny bud vase. Kaoru was instantly curious about the man and the woman smiling back at her in the pictures, but she felt too shy to ask any questions. Kenshin, glancing sideways at Kaoru, noticed her looking at the shrine, as well as the look of curiosity and interest mingled on her face. He said softly, "Those…are my parents. They died when I was really young, so I keep their pictures around to remind me of where I came from."

Kaoru jumped, surprised that Kenshin had practically read her mind. "O-oh! I'm sorry! You don't have to explain, really! I didn't mean to stare. I guess I'm just…surprised to see a shrine in your bedroom. It's not what I expected to see."

Kenshin smiled gently. "And what did you expect to see?"

Kaoru began to stammer. "A-ah, nothing! I didn't mean that I expected anything! Umm, okay, I'm changing the subject now. So, ah, do you mind if I asked who raised you?"

Kenshin raised his eyebrows, surprised at how embarrassed Kaoru seemed. "No, no, it's fine. My Uncle Hiko raised me after my parents died, but he's not really like my father. He's sort of just…Hiko. He runs a dojo outside of Tokyo, and that's where we lived until I moved to the States to attend college."

Kaoru's ears perked up. "A dojo? Like martial arts?"

Kenshin laughed. "Ah, no, not exactly. He's a kenjutsu instructor. Do you know what that is? It's like—"

"The art of swordsmanship!" Kaoru cried, her eyes sparkling. "Of course I know! I studied for years when I was younger. My Dad is totally into it, and he dragged me all over Japan to attend competitions and tournaments. I was pretty good in high school, if I do say so myself," she said with a little flourish of the hand.

Kenshin was stunned. Kaoru Kamiya, his perfect woman, was, in addition to being smart, kind, beautiful, funny, and thoughtful…a swordswoman. "That's…amazing," was all he could manage to get out.

Kaoru was too excited to notice the admiration written all over Kenshin's shocked face. "What style did your Uncle Hiko teach you?"

Kenshin blushed a little. "We-el, technically, he's still teaching me. There's a succession technique I have to learn before I achieve the rank of master, and it's progressing slowly because I can't train with him unless I'm home. But…there's no hurry. Aoshi trains with me here in San Francisco, so I stay pretty sharp. The technique is called Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu. It's—"

Kaoru interrupted him again. "It's an ultrasonic style that utilizes superhuman speed and reflexes! Are…you serious? I've only read about Hiten Mitsurugi before now! You're like…a _samurai_!" she finished, barely able to contain her excitement. Kenshin Himura, mild-mannered medical resident and poor student, was a swordfighter on the weekends?"

Kenshin laughed out loud, and Kaoru realized it was the first time she had heard him laugh. It was a light, happy sound, and she wondered why she hadn't heard it before. "It's not nearly as glamorous as you're making it sound. You—" he trailed off, and then decided to take a chance. "You should train with Aoshi and I sometime…maybe we can learn a few things from each other. We go to one of the practice dojos in town at least a few times a week…it's great for stress."

Kaoru could barely believe her ears. "That would be fantastic!" she cried. "Only…it's been a while since I've trained, especially since school started. I'm a little out of shape, and…I'm afraid I'll disappoint you and Dr. Shinomori. So, I'll go…as long as you promise not to make fun of me."

Kenshin had to fight an extremely strong urge to wrap his arms around Kaoru and whisper in her ear that he could never be disappointed in her. He took a step closer, narrowing the space between them. "That is…ridiculous," he said in a voice that was lower, and slightly husky. "Come with us, next week. We will _not _make fun of you."

They stood in silence for several moments, and Kaoru smiled. "Okay then," she said. "It's a date. I mean, ah—I'll go!"

Kenshin inhaled sharply at her words. It was just a slip; it hadn't really meant anything. Had it? _Let it go, Himura_, he told himself. He smiled politely. "Well then. I really should let you go to bed—ah, sleep. I can't believe how late it is. I, um, changed the sheets and everything this morning, so hopefully you'll be comfortable enough. And…I'll be right outside in the living room, if you need anything. Just wake me up."

This time, Kaoru noticed Kenshin's nervousness, and she had to admit that she found it slightly endearing. "Kenshin…thank you for everything…it's been the strangest night. First you rescue Misao and I from those thugs, and then I find out that you're a samurai and you invite me to train with you…and now I'm kicking you out of your own bed. I…really don't know what to say, except…" she approached him quickly and placed her small hands gently on his shoulders, kissing him lightly on his right cheek. "Thank you. And…goodnight."

Kenshin was still smiling as he closed the bedroom door gently behind him, his cheek still burning from the sensation of Kaoru's moist lips. _Strangest night indeed_, he thought. _I'm never washing my cheek again_.


	8. Chapter 8: Truce

"Time's up, everyone. Please put your pencils down." Ms. Tae smiled at Kaoru and Misao's class from the front of a large auditorium where everyone was taking their first major exam of the term in their most difficult course, pathophysiology. Kaoru finished bubbling in her last answer, and let out a long sigh of relief as she plunked her pencil down on her desk. "My _God_," she said as she turned to Misao, who sat to her right. "That was _really _hard. At this rate, I'll be lucky if I make a B!"

"Maybe they'll curve the grades," Misao wondered aloud. "I got left-sided and right-sided heart failure mixed up, and couldn't remember the symptoms for each one. Which one do you see pulmonary edema with?"

"Left-sided, remember? The left ventricle isn't strong enough to force all the blood through the aorta and to the body, so it begins to back up into the pulmonary circulation. Hmm, that part was okay for me—I had a bigger problem with arterial blood gases. Why do they make us memorize so many lab values when the normals are _right there _on the patient's chart to see?"

Misao shrugged as the girls filed out of the auditorium with the rest of their class, and they both relieved of an immense burden as they stepped out into the pale fall sunshine so typical of northern California. "It's _such _a gorgeous day! What are we going to do this afternoon? We have the entire rest of the day off! Oh, wait!" she gasped. Today's the day you're going to train with Kenshin, isn't it? I heard you making plans to go with him before we left their apartment Saturday morning. Do you think…Aoshi-sama will come?" she asked hopefully.

Kaoru blushed a little. Four days had passed since she had agreed to see Kenshin, and now she almost wished she hadn't agreed to go with him. "I don't know," she answered honestly. "I'm actually kind of dreading this. I mean, Misao…it's been months since I picked up a shinai. And he's an almost-master of Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu. What if he was just being polite when he invited me? What if I can't remember the harder forms?" she groaned.

Misao laughed cheerfully. "Kaoru, stop worrying! You've been doing kendo for so long, there's no way you'll forget anything. And Kenshin is _so _totally in love with you, it's not like he would even notice if you did something stupid!"

This comment made Kaoru stop in her tracks, and she stared at Misao incredulously. "Excuse me? Kenshin is not in _love _with me! What are you talking about? I mean, okay, he asked me to dinner Friday night, but I would hardly call that love."

Misao rolled her eyes and turned to face her friend. "Okay, my dear, confused best friend. Shall we review the events of the past week? Let's see. First, Kenshin approaches you on a crowded dance floor and asks you out…which you refused, may I remind you. Then, he and Sano and Aoshi-sama save us from those thugs on the street, and you _really _should have seen the look on his face—it was totally murderous. Almost as if he was saying, stay away from my woman before I rip your face off! Then, he insists on giving up his room for you to sleep in, even though you could have just have easily slept with me—and I do NOT hog the covers," she said hotly, seeing the dubious look on Kaoru's face. "And finally," she finished, "He asks you to join him for a hot, sweaty training session at an exclusive dojo downtown where you have to _know _someone to get a practice time reserved. Now, can you honestly tell me that Kenshin Himura isn't completely crazy about you?"

Kaoru stood thoughtfully for a moment, letting the fall breeze ruffle her short pleated skirt, and she shoved her hands a little deeper into the pockets of her denim jacket. Turning her face towards the sun and squinting, she sighed. "I don't know. It's just been so long since I've thought about dating anyone…and God, what would Enishi do if I did, and he found out?" she shuddered a bit, remembering her most recent ex-boyfriend's rage issues. "What if he found out and came after me?"

"Kaoru!" A voice called, but it wasn't Misao. Kaoru snapped back to attention and saw Kenshin walking towards her from across the street, holding up a hand in greeting. Much to her surprise, and much to Misao's utter delight, he was accompanied by Aoshi, whose facial expression was unreadable as ever. As they approached, Kaoru noticed that they were dressed quite differently. Kenshin was wearing gray training pants, a fitted black long-sleeved tee, and running shoes, and his fiery hair was tied up in an elegant topknot at the crown of his head. He had a bag slung over his shoulder, and from its bulky shape, Kaoru guessed it was full of his personal shinai and other training equipment. Aoshi, on the other hand, was wearing charcoal pinstriped trousers, a white button-up, a dark tie, and his hospital I.D. badge.

"Hi," Kaoru greeted them a little shyly as they approached. Her mind raced as she thought of something interesting to say to help open up the conversation, but Misao beat her to it. "Hiiiii, Aoshi-sama and Kenshin! It's so nice to see you again! Kaoru is _really _excited about training. But, um, Aoshi-sama…aren't you dressed a bit formally for the dojo?"

One corner of Aoshi's mouth twitched, as though he was thinking about smiling, but was able to resist the urge. "I just came from the hospital. When Himura told me he was taking Miss Kamiya—Kaoru—to train this afternoon, I became curious as to what you would do without your best friend, and decided to come along so I could ask you in person."

Misao stood still for a few moments, blinking rapidly. "Me?" she squeaked. "Um, I hadn't really thought about what I'll do…maybe walk around the quad for a bit and have a coffee...that test totally took it out of me, and I need at least a double espresso. Then I have to go home and clean our disgusting kitchen. I tried making crepes last night, and it was a total disaster. I got batter everywhere!"

Aoshi's dark eyes flashed in amusement, and Kaoru groaned inwardly that Misao had completely missed Aoshi's subtle hint at spending time with her. How could she claim to know so much about Kenshin's feelings when she was oblivious to everyone else's?

Realizing that he would have to be a bit more direct, Aoshi tried again. "I don't have any surgeries scheduled for this afternoon…would you mind if I joined you for that coffee you mentioned? I'm afraid I can't help with your disgusting kitchen."

Kaoru almost laughed out loud. Had Aoshi just made a _joke_? Her eyes darted rapidly to Misao, who was still standing, looking a little dumbstruck. "Ah…um, of course!" she finally stammered, the blush rapidly rising in her cheeks. Now Kaoru was really at a loss. Was Misao, for once, _speechless_?

This time, Aoshi smiled genuinely, and Kaoru noticed that it softened all of his angular features, making him appear younger and more carefree. "Good. There's a café a couple of blocks from here with great espresso. Shall we?" He held out the crook of his elbow for Misao, and the still disbelieving girl slipped a small hand through it to take hold of his arm. As they began walking away, she turned to look over her shoulder at Kaoru. "Bye," she called in a slightly shaky voice. "I'll…see you tonight!"

Kaoru waved and turned back to face Kenshin, the anxiety rising up inside of her again now that they were alone. _Don't be nervous_, she chided herself. "Hi," she said, deciding to start over.

"Hi," Kenshin replied with a smile. "How has your week been?"

"Ughh, we've been studying for a big patho exam ever since we left your apartment Saturday morning. It was _really _hard, and covered three different body systems, but there was a big focus on cardiac dysfunction, which I sometimes have problems with."

Kenshin grinned. "Cardiac? Really? You should have called me, I could have helped you and Misao with your studying."

Kaoru flushed as her memory suddenly flashed to the first day of her clinical rotation at the hospital, when Professor Saito had introduced Kenshin and Aoshi as interns on the cardiac floor where she and Misao worked. They were training to become cardiologists. "You…you must think we're really silly," she said, embarrassed. "You've been studying the heart for so long, I'm sure it's all so easy for you."

Kenshin looked slightly taken aback. "Kaoru, give yourself some credit. Physiology is _hard_. There's a ton of information, and if you don't use it every day, there's no way to remember it all. Aoshi and I still have to dig out our reference books all the time, and we still have years to go before we'll be considered credible enough to practice on our own."

Kaoru smiled, and her initial nervousness began to fade away. "Okay," she said. "I'll try to remember that whenever pathophysiology makes me feel stupid and incompetent, which happens at least twice a week." She felt a little bolder. "Can I…tell you a secret?"

Kenshin's breath hitched almost imperceptibly. "Um…yes, you can." He took the opportunity to incline his head towards her ever so slightly in order to hear her confession, in case she decided to whisper that she loved him.

Kaoru fumbled a bit with her hands. "I was really nervous about meeting you today. Everything that happened Friday night was so…strange, what with nearly getting mugged, and then staying at your place, and finding out that you're a samurai—you _are_," she insisted, as Kenshin began to laugh. "And now we're going to a super-exclusive dojo to spar. It's just a little overwhelming, but…I'm glad we're going. It will be nice to get back into fighting shape."

Kenshin continued smiling and brushed his long bangs out of his face as they began walking towards the subway. "I see. Does this mean that we can actually be friends, Kaoru?"

Kaoru grinned and considered the question. "Hmm, I think so….but just because we're friends doesn't mean I'm going to take it easy on you at the dojo."

Kenshin's eyes narrowed hungrily, and he unconsciously moved to rest his fingertips lightly on the small of Kaoru's back as they started down the stairs to catch their train. "Deal."


	9. Chapter 9: Progress?

Satsuma Dojo was, in a word, amazing. Located in the heart of San Francisco's Japantown, it was a modern, nontraditional facility comprised of the top two floors of a corporate building that was opened by several prominent businessmen who wanted a convenient way to keep up with their beloved kendo training in between conference calls, and who had spared no expense making it functionally perfect and aesthetically pleasing. Each floor housed a large practice hall with glossy, polished floors, with adjoining rooms for changing and storing personal belongings, and the top level featured large skylights that created the illusion of being outdoors. Not having brought her training gear to graduate school from her parents' home in Tokyo, Kaoru had asked to borrow a traditional practice gi and hakama from a trendily-dressed young girl working as a sort of receptionist at a large greeter's desk on the lower level of the dojo; she checked Kenshin's ID against his reserved practice time in her appointment book, and then smilingly handed Kaoru a freshly-laundered, white and blue set of training attire. She offered to lend her a shinai, as well, but Kenshin had kindly assured her that Kaoru could borrow his equipment. And so, after what seemed like only a few moments later, Kaoru found herself alone in the large women's changing room, pulling on the loaned gi and hakama over her sports bra and feeling nostalgic as their light weight and flowing material clung to her body. _It has been wayyyy too long since I've properly practiced_, she chided herself. Pulling her dark hair into a ponytail, she exhaled deeply. _Well, here goes nothing. _She pushed open the rear door of the changing room, revealing the dojo itself, and bowed respectfully before stepping barefoot onto its shiny, smooth hardwood floor.

Moments later, Kenshin emerged from the men's changing room wearing his own black gi and hakama, to find Kaoru walking slowly around the perimeter of the room, examining a cluster of ceremonial weapons mounted on the back wall, and then turning her attention to the traditional Buddhist shrine located in a far corner. She hadn't heard him emerge, and he took advantage of this rare opportunity to watch her unobserved. Her movements were fluid and graceful, and she seemed comfortable in this type of setting. _She's definitely no stranger to kendo_, he decided. Clearing his throat slightly, Kenshin smiled as Kaoru jumped and spun around.

"I…I didn't hear you come in! How long have you been standing there?" Kaoru demanded, feeling a bit embarrassed having been caught ogling an enormous katana on display. Her eyes involuntarily darted down just long enough to see the line of bare chest and hard, lean muscle that Kenshin's loose-fitting gi revealed, but she recovered just as quickly, and jerked her gaze upwards to meet his own.

"Long enough to get a good look at my opponent," Kenshin replied smoothly, his mouth cocking sideways into a mischievous smile. Kaoru felt the heat rise in her cheeks, and she began to regret the comment about not taking it easy on him that she had made as they walked to the subway._ Let's just hope I can back up my smart mouth_, she thought.

"I see. Well then, shall we start? Where's that shinai you were going to lend me?" Kaoru made a move for Kenshin's equipment, which he had neatly piled off to the side of the room. He let out a low chuckle as she tested a couple of the different practice swords for their balance and heft. "Not yet," he finally said. If we're going to spar, I want to see you in action so I'll know what I'm up against. Why don't you show me a few of your more difficult forms before we begin?"

Kaoru threw Kenshin a dark look, who lifted his eyebrows innocently. She had been afraid that he would suggest a demonstration, and she knew exactly what he was getting at. As a responsible, master-level fighter, Kenshin was worried about Kaoru's safety, and he wanted to assess her skill level so he could tailor his own efforts appropriately, which he had tried to mask by pretending to be worried about her ass-kicking potential. This realization both touched and annoyed her, and at once she felt determined to do her absolute best.

"Fine," she replied sweetly, finally choosing a shinai and moving to the center of the room. Kenshin stood to the side, watching Kaoru intently as she bowed, and then slid into her first stance. He had wondered if she would feel self-conscious about demonstrating her style to him, but her eyes were clear and her expression completely neutral, suggesting that she was totally focused on her movements and nothing else.

Kaoru could've sworn she felt a long-ignored switch in her brain click _on_ as she began the first form, and then muscle memory took over. How could she have thought she would forget the movements she must have performed thousands of times over the years of practice at school, and with her own teachers back home? Sure, her muscles were a bit out of practice, a realization made painfully clear as she swiveled and lunged with pretended ease, but no matter: she _remembered_, and that was more important than a few days of soreness.

For his part, Kenshin could easily tell that Kaoru was out of practice, though she barely broke a sweat or lost her breath as she navigated through some very complex, elegant katas. He was also unfamiliar with her style; it was far more defensive than his own Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, but impressively quick and very beautiful. His trained eye moved over her body with the discerning skill of a swordsman, and the appreciation of a man completely lost to Kaoru's grace and beauty. She finally spun around and brought her shinai down fast, making a small _swoosh_ as she finished the form. Kaoru stood up straight and faced Kenshin, bowing again in conclusion.

"So," she asked after pausing for a moment to catch her breath. "What do you think? Are you scared yet?" she smiled, her voice playful.

Kenshin walked towards Kaoru in the center of the room slowly, his shinai balanced casually across the crook of one arm, wearing an expression that she found both interesting and a little frightening.

"Um, Kenshin? Why are you looking at me like that? Hey…what's with your eyes? They look like they did the other night when those thugs tried to attack us…they're kind of gold-tinged. You're staring!" Kaoru tried to make her voice sound light, but the intensity of Kenshin's predatory gaze was too strong to ignore.

"I'm staring because what I'm interested in is right in front of me," Kenshin replied coolly, his voice somehow lower and more confident than usual. He leaned forward confidentially. "And the answer to your question is yes. I'm _terrified._"

Kaoru face flushed red, and she quickly broke his gaze to look at the floor. "Come on," she said quickly, nervously laughing a little. "My little demonstration couldn't have been _that _intimidating—I haven't practiced in _centuries_."

"On the contrary," Kenshin countered, bowing low before Kaoru and raising his shinai to signal the beginning of their fight. "I think you could teach me quite a bit." Kaoru inhaled sharply at the subtle hint of sexuality in his words. She bowed quickly in kind to hide her surprise, and raised her own shinai.

He smiled deep into her eyes, looking hungry; rapacious. "Ready?"

Kaoru set her jaw firmly and regarded Kenshin, feeling her fighting spirit rise to the surface of her conscious awareness. "Ready on the count of three. One…two…three…_Go!_"

Kaoru immediately charged Kenshin, determined to get a hit by utilizing her fantastic speed and agility. She made a motion as if to slash from overhead, and then suddenly thrust forward instead, aiming directly at her opponent's chest. This move was one of her signature hits; it tricked the other fighter into raising their weapon to deflect her oncoming blow, only to leave them exposed for a direct hit to the torso. Indeed, she was _so _sure of her movement, she had to stop herself from exclaiming, "Hit!" before she landed the strike. What she _didn't _expect, however, was for her shinai to land in midair without making contact. Despite the perfect execution of Kaoru's attack, Kenshin was out of sight. Kaoru instinctively swiveled around, expecting a counterattack from behind, only to discover that she was too late…again. With a speed she would not have thought possible, Kenshin parried to her left and landed a blow to her shoulder that was quick and delicate, but with the promise of incredible power behind it.

They separated and faced each other once again, Kaoru's long bangs beginning to stick to her forehead with sweat. She didn't know whether to be amazed by Kenshin's speed, or angry that he had managed to get the first hit.

"Hit," Kenshin said in a low voice, smiling and gazing at Kaoru with those amber-tinged yes that were so beautiful and frightening at the same time. "You're very fast, Kaoru. I'm glad I was able to get away in time." Kaoru flushed as she realized the force she had put into her initial attack, as if she were trying to impale her opponent. Kenshin, on the other hand, had scored with a disciplined little _tap _that Kaoru barely felt the sting of on her left shoulder.

Kaoru grit her teeth. "You're fast, too," she conceded. _Wayyy faster than me_, she thought to herself. She realized that if she wanted to land a strike against Kenshin, she would have to be creative. She exhaled slowly, collecting herself, as Kenshin watched her intently. "Ready to go again?" she asked, raising her shinai once more.

"Ready on the count of three," Kenshin replied, echoing Kaoru's earlier statement.

"One…two…three…_Go._" This time, Kaoru assumed a defensive stance, waiting for Kenshin to strike. Surprised for a moment, Kenshin hesitated, wondering what she had planned for him, and then realizing he had no choice but to attack. He approached quickly, moving at a speed that took Kaoru's breath away. She waited until he was mere inches away from her, and then threw her shinai up across her chest, expecting him to attempt a direct hit. Her idea was to use the counterforce of this defensive movement to throw off Kenshin's balance, knocking him backwards and making him vulnerable. As soon as she blinked, however, she realized that Kenshin was gone again. She instantly pivoted to the left, expecting a repeat of their first round, and then detected movement above her head. Gasping, Kaoru looked up, just in time to see Kenshin coming down from a silent leap into the air, his shinai raised high. Without thinking, Kaoru acted on instinct. She thrust her own shinai upwards, trying to protect her head and neck from what she was sure would be a devastating blow from Kenshin. For his part, Kenshin had planned on landing a hit to Kaoru's back as he came back to the ground, but he would have never struck hard enough to injure her. He was caught off guard when she struck out with her shinai to block his attack from above, faster than he would have imagined possible for her. So fast, in fact, that he was forced to swerve awkwardly to avoid her shinai, causing him to land almost directly on top of Kaoru, knocking them both to the ground. At the last moment, Kenshin threw himself underneath her in order to take the brunt of the impact, and they landed roughly, his hands secured firmly around her wrists to keep her from falling to one side.

"Oh!" Kaoru cried as her body slammed into Kenshin's upon hitting the floor. It took her a moment to fully register what had happened, and then she understood that he had purposefully landed underneath her to absorb their fall. His strong hands were wrapped around her delicate wrists, and as she lifted her head a bit, her eyes focused and she realized that she was face-to-face with his partially exposed, sculpted chest, which was rising and falling rapidly as he recovered. Still a bit dazed, she remained still and tried to focus on calming her breathing. Suddenly, Kenshin shifted his grip from her wrists to her upper arms, and swiftly pulled her up to meet him face-to-face.

"Kaoru," he said, moving his hand to brush a few strands of dark hair out of her face. His eyes still swirled with amber, but the expression on his face was one of concern. "Are you okay?"

Kaoru could feel Kenshin's breath on her neck, and her memory suddenly flashed to the previous weekend, when they had danced so intimately and she had felt a strong, heady attraction…_for the first time in so long_, she thought grimly. "I-I'm fine," she said breathlessly. "I don't know why I did that at the last second...when I saw you above me, I thought you were going to land a really brutal hit, and I think I panicked…I'm sorry."

Kenshin looked displeased, and a little hurt. He unconsciously gripped her shoulder a little harder, as his other hand continued to caress the loose strands of hair. "I would never hit you. At least…not hard enough to hurt. Don't you know that by now?"

Kaoru sighed. Yes, she did know. "Yes," she said carefully. "It's just…you're really strong, and fast. You remind me of…someone I know. Someone who wasn't always so careful when we sparred."

This comment piqued Kenshin's curiosity. _Who is she talking about? _He wondered. The dull expression on Kaoru's face as she talked, however, assured him that this subject was not up for discussion. "Well," he replied, reaching down to ghost his fingers over the hand that Kaoru was now using to brace her weight as she hovered inches above him, "He obviously didn't appreciate you as a sparring partner. If I saw a man hit you hard during a fight…." Kenshin's low voice trailed off. He honestly wasn't sure what he would do, but he was fairly certain that it would involve smashing their face into a bloody pulp.

"Kenshin…" Kaoru felt her defenses rapidly lowering. The attraction she experienced at the club was back in full force, and she wondered how much longer she could hold out before instinct took over. _What would be so wrong with it? _She asked herself. _Why is the idea of losing control so frightening? He's different…he's not…._Mirroring Kenshin's own action, she brought a hand up to his face, and gently traced a line from his forehead down to his strong jaw with one finger, and then two, collecting a few drops of sweat along the way. Continuing her path southward, she skimmed her fingers further down across the taut skin of his neck, and then gingerly swept them along his collarbone.

It was the third time Kaoru had purposefully touched Kenshin in some way, and it nearly made him lose control. "Kaoru," he breathed, sliding his eyes shut to savor the sensation of her fingertips on his face, and then his body. Finally, he could no longer contain himself. "You have to stop touching me, now. If you don't…I don't know what's going to happen. You have no idea how badly…."

Kaoru felt a strange heat beginning to burn in the pit of her stomach, but she wrestled with herself mentally as she debated whether to give in to desire. _I…don't want to get hurt…not again…. _"Kenshin," she finally said, a little softly. "Would you…kiss me?"

Kenshin took a sharp breath, his amber eyes snapping open. Fighting the urge to reach up and slam his mouth onto Kaoru's with brutal, claiming force, he set his jaw firmly and made a move to sit up on the polished dojo floor, forcing Kaoru off of him to do the same, so that within moments they were facing each other. If she wanted him to kiss her, he would kiss her like a man, not a pubescent schoolboy. Without a word, he reached a hand out to rest gently on the side of her neck, his thumb brushing very lightly over her moist lower lip. Kaoru found that she was trembling a little, and she took a deep breath to still herself. Instinctively, she tilted her head and began to lean in, unable to break her gaze from Kenshin's eyes, which seemed permanently fixed on her own.

And then, the moment was broken. _SNAP! _The sound of a shoji door opening behind them caused Kaoru to jump, and she quickly turned to see who was there, causing Kenshin to curse inwardly. Before he noticed the intruder, however, he noticed the change in Kaoru's expression as she stared, and her face immediately grew pale. Curious, he shifted his attention to the tall, male newcomer, who was standing in the doorway, looking at once both surprised and enraged.

"Kaoru," he gritted through clenched teeth, taking a few steps forward. "What are you doing here? Who is this fucking _asshole_?"

Kaoru went stiff, and then she glanced nervously back to Kenshin, who was both curious about Kaoru's relationship with this man, and contemplative of how he should dispose of him. _Painfully_, he decided.

Kaoru looked at the floor. "Enishi," she murmered.


	10. Chapter 10: Secrets Revealed

Kenshin's eyes, which were still flecked with amber from being mere centimeters away from passionately kissing Kaoru, flew open in surprise, then narrowed imperceptibly. "Enishi?" He stood up from where they still knelt on the bamboo dojo floor in one fluid movement, and faced the taller man standing just inside the shoji doorway.

So...was this the one Kaoru was talking about? The one who 'wasn't so careful' with her when they sparred together? Kenshin felt sure of it, but he didn't want to jump to conclusions. "Kaoru," he began, never breaking his gaze from Enishi's eyes, which were blazing furiously. "Is this a friend of yours?"

Kaoru rose silently to her feet and took a few tentative steps forward, placing herself rather awkwardly between the two men. _There's no getting around it now_, she thought to herself. "I…guess I should make introductions. Kenshin...this is...Enishi Yukishiro, my ex-boyfriend. Enishi, this is...Dr. Kenshin Himura, a friend of mine." She let out a slow breath, waiting for a reaction from someone...anyone.

_Ah_, Kenshin thought to himself. That would explain the "fucking asshole" comment; Enishi obviously still harbored feelings of protectiveness towards Kaoru...or ownership. He decided to try politeness, for Kaoru's sake. "Hey," he finally said, nodding once towards Enishi.

Enishi snorted. "Hey," he replied sarcastically. "No, man. We're not going to be friends." Kenshin raised his eyebrows. _Well, I tried. At least now I can kill him with a clear conscience_. Enishi shifted his attention to Kaoru. "So, this is who you're fucking now? I don't believe this...he looks like one of your little emo girlfriends. I can't believe you would pass on me for _this_."

Kenshin opened his mouth to let Enishi know that he should start running _now_, when Kaoru suddenly broke in. "Enishi, you and I broke up four months ago, and I haven't changed my mind about the decision I made to leave you. Do _not _talk about Kenshin like that; he's ten times the man you'll ever be, and a much better fighter—he can actually spar with me and not leave me black and blue, the way you always did."

Bingo. So, this was Enishi Yukishiro, the ex-boyfriend who liked to take his aggression out on Kaoru with a shinai...under the pretense of sparring. The thought of them together, practicing in a dojo like this, and then imagining Kaoru getting bashed with a thick wooden sword, made Kenshin's fingertips tingle with anger. "Don't talk to her that way," he grated through his teeth, causing Enishi to smile wryly. "No?" he asked, his voice teeming with arrogance. "Tell me something, _Kenshin_. Are you Kaoru's boyfriend? Are you the one who protects her from bad guys like me?"

Kenshin knew what Enishi was getting at, and he wasn't about to play into that trap. "Whether or not Kaoru and I are together is none of your business," he coldly replied. "Unless I heard wrong just now, she dumped you. And either way, I'm not going to let a skinny prick with _white_ hair talk to her, or me, so disrespectfully." Kenshin felt a little stab of self-reproach; it wasn't his nature to take personal shots at people, even potential enemies. _For some reason, this guy is getting to me, _he realized.

The color drained from Enishi's face, and his eyes flashed dangerously. "Enough talking, then. You and me, right now. I'm going to make you regret underestimating me." He dropped his own canvas bag of equipment to the dojo floor where he stood, and moved to retrieve his practice weapons from inside it.

"NO!" Kaoru cried, moving in front of Kenshin defensively. "I'm not having this. Enishi, Kenshin and I are leaving, now. Our practice time is over, anyway. Just...forget it! Forget you saw me, okay? Kenshin, please." She spun around to face Kenshin, taking hold of his shoulders firmly and looking into his eyes, pleading, her dark hair falling haphazardly around her face. _Get me out of here_, her eyes seemed to say. He looked at her, questioningly, and then realized that she was genuinely afraid...but whether of Enishi, or what might happen if he fought Enishi, Kenshin couldn't tell.

"…Okay," he said reluctantly. He would have much rather dealt with Enishi then and there, but he also didn't want to further traumatize Kaoru. He shot a warning glance back towards Enishi. "This isn't finished," he said lowly, grabbing the handles of his training bag and hoisting the practice weapons over his shoulder. "If I ever see you again, especially around Kaoru..." he trailed off. To be honest, Kenshin wasn't sure what he would do...only that it would involve violence.

Enishi gave a nasty little smile. "You'll see me again," he replied, watching as Kenshin and Kaoru's backs as they exited from the opposite side of the dojo.

*****

_Slurrrp_! Misao blushed at the loud noise coming from her large polka-dotted cappuccino mug, which held the remains of a new, delicious concoction she had never tried before. She and Aoshi were sitting across from each other at Fizz, the small coffee shop that Dr. Shinomori had suggested they visit for an espresso. Misao had been delighted by the slightly funky décor and mismatched chairs; it gave the place a very bohemian, cozy feel. She picked a small, round table in the corner by a large window, and they sat quietly together, Aoshi sipping a double espresso in a small demitasse cup, and Misao trying to wrap her mind around the deliciousness that he had surprised her with.

"Aoshi-sama, what is this fantastic creation called again? An aphrodisiac?"

Aoshi almost choked on his espresso, and Misao could swear she heard a chuckle. "Um…not quite. It's called an _affogato_. It's a scoop of vanilla ice cream with hot espresso poured over it. Good, isn't it?"

"It's _amazing_! It's the perfect combination of sugar and caffeine…I may never go back to my regular triple latte again!"

Aoshi smiled a rare smile. "It's really supposed to be a dessert. Doesn't it seem a little too rich to take with you to your early morning classes?"

"Hmm, maybe you're right. Well, it's definitely my new favorite dessert, then. Why didn't you order one for yourself?"

Aoshi took another sip of his espresso. "Definitely too sweet for me, but…" He lowered his voice confidentially. "Sometimes I put a lemon twist in my espresso."

Misao pretended to look appalled, and she clutched her heart dramatically. "Careful, Dr. Shinomori! You don't want to go overboard with all that flavor!"

Aoshi's smile faded a bit, and he looked down at the table. "Still carrying on with the 'Dr. Aoshi-sama' business? I don't think I've ever heard you refer to me as just 'Aoshi' before."

This time, Misao's look of shock was genuine. "Um…are you serious? 'Aoshi-sama' is a term of _endearment_! I only call you that because _you_ made a joke about it on our first clinical day at the hospital, remember? And when I call you 'Dr. Shinomori'…I guess it's just to change things up. Do you…want me to just call you Aoshi? I'll do whatever you want, just…stop frowning at me!" she finished awkwardly, blushing slightly at the serious turn their conversation had suddenly taken.

Aoshi gazed at Misao, his dark, mysterious eyes unreadable as they studied her curious, uncertain expression. "I'd like for you to feel comfortable with me," he finally said slowly. "You can call me whatever you like, as long as you're not doing it because you're afraid of me."

Misao's heart nearly stopped, and any remaining doubts she harbored regarding the intensity of her feelings for Aoshi vanished like a puff of steam rising from an industrial-grade espresso machine. She let out a short, nervous giggle, and before she could stop herself, she was talking. "_Afraid _of you? Oh my God, Aoshi…are you aware that I'm kind of _obsessed _with you?" She clapped a hand over her mouth, but it was too late; the words were out. She stared across the table at Dr. Shinomori with wide blue eyes, and suddenly found that she didn't know what to do with her hands. She folded them uncomfortably on the table in front of her.

"I…actually just said that, didn't I?"

Aoshi looked stunned. "You did," he replied.

Misao bit her lower lip. She could either plead insanity and take it all back, or she could put everything on the line; after using a word like _obsessed _to describe her feelings for Aoshi, there was really no doing things halfway. She let out a slow breath. "Okay. I…know I should probably feel more embarrassed, but there's really no hiding it. Dr…Aoshi, I think you're the smartest, most beautiful man I've ever met, and in a strange way, you're also one of the kindest. There. I just told you everything! What are you going to do about it?" She posed the question a bit rhetorically, not really expecting an answer considering the stupefied look on Aoshi's face. A few moments passed, and he finally raised an eyebrow.

"What am I going to do about it? Is that a challenge? Fine, then." He reached forward and placed a strong, slender hand over Misao's. The young girl felt her senses catch fire, and she experienced a rush of feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"Wha-…what are you doing?" she asked, her voice wavering slightly.

Never breaking his gaze from hers, Aoshi lightly grazed the soft, pale skin of her own small hand with his callused thumb, and then lifted it off the table gently. Leaning forward, he dipped his head down to place a small, barely perceptible ghost of a kiss onto the backs of her delicate fingers, his dark hair falling over his eyes, and then turned her hand over, exhaling slowly and placing another gentle kiss into her palm. Raising his head to gaze at Misao again, he finally spoke. "I would have chosen a different word, such as…_infatuation_, but…you could say the feeling is mutual."

Misao thought she might die, literally, right there in the coffee shop. "_You're _interested in _me_? I can't believe this! I mean, of course I'm confident and plenty of boys love me," she said with a self-reassuring little hand gesture, "But you must think I'm some silly _kid! _I've been drooling over you for _months!_"

Aoshi considered the best way to respond. Finally, he decided to use Misao's own tactic. "Misao, you're intelligent, and fun, and…you're very beautiful. Why _wouldn't _Ibe interested?"

Misao couldn't argue with that.

*****

Kaoru had been silent all the way from the dojo to her subway stop, where Kenshin was waiting with her for the 5:15 train to arrive. Her usually warm, happy expression was stony; her lips were pressed firmly together and her brow was slightly furrowed, as though she were deep in thought. Kenshin kept stealing side glances at her, wanting to talk about what happened at the dojo with Enishi but not wanting to make her feel even more uncomfortable than she already did, and not knowing how to broach such an awkward topic. Finally, he reached out, and placed a hand gently on her shoulder. Kaoru flinched, as though surprised that he was still standing next to her, waiting with her for the train. _Did she forget I was even here? _He wondered.

"Kaoru…about what happened with Enishi…" Kenshin sighed. There was no easy way to say this.

"Kenshin, don't." Kaoru interrupted. "You don't need to say anything. I feel…_so _embarrassed that you had to meet Enishi like that, and see the kind of person that he is. I really…._can't _believe I ever dated him, even for six months." She stared straight ahead, not able to look Kenshin in the eye.

Kenshin was surprised. Was she expecting him to scold her for dating Enishi? "I wasn't going to give you a hard time about being with that…_total _dick, I promise."

Kaoru turned to face Kenshin fully. "How could you not? Ugh, that whole encounter was so horrible! And what happens if we ever run into him again? I don't know what he would do!"

The amber flecks were back in Kenshin's eyes, glinting dully in the fading light of the late afternoon. "That's what I wanted to tell you, Kaoru. You don't…you don't have to worry about him. I know I can't watch you every second of the day, so I don't mean to sound like some creepy bodyguard, but…whenever we're together, for whatever reason…I'll take care of you, okay? I promise."

Kaoru gave a little shudder as a breeze swept up under her skirt. "You…you just don't know Enishi, Kenshin. He's _crazy_. I know you're an amazing fighter, but…sometimes I think he would be willing to kill to get what he wants."

Kenshin didn't know how to respond. He didn't want to tell Kaoru that he had been holding back _quite _a bit at the dojo and undermine her considerable skill as a swordswoman, and that she actually had no idea how amazing of a fighter he really was, nor did he want to scare her by assuring her that he would have no problem killing anyone who tried to hurt her…in a matter of seconds. So, he settled for reaching out and pulling her slender form against him, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and settling his face against her temple, breathing deeply and evenly. Her mingled scent of jasmine and sweat that filled his senses was heady and arousing, and his ever-present desire to protect and claim her as his own flared from deep within him.

Kaoru had been surprised by Kenshin's embrace, but as he stood there holding her, she gave into the warmth and comfort that seemed to radiate from his presence. She slowly slid her arms around his waist and buried her face into his chest, trying to resist the urge she felt to cry from frustration, and fear…and relief.

For long moments, they continued to stand there like that, until they heard the sound of Kaoru's approaching train from behind them.


	11. Chapter 11: Nightmares

Kaoru's dark blue eyes flew open in scared surprise. Her face was moist with sweat, and her breathing came in small gasps. She gradually became aware that she was lying in bed, her hands tightly clutching the covers that were pulled up under her chin.

The dream—or nightmare, rather—had been remarkably real. Enishi had been there, standing over her with an impossibly huge bokken, laughing as she tried desperately to run in the other direction…but her feet were melting into the floor. She used every ounce of strength to try and lift her legs from the sticky putty that her lower half was dissolving into, but the harder she tried, the more stuck she became. Turning her head, she saw him standing there, victorious; almost casual in his self-assurance. Looking down, she realized that the stickiness she was standing in was in fact her blood, and she realized that she would bleed out in a few minutes as she watched it run in little rivulets across the floor like spider legs.

Not fully rational, Kaoru sat up and looked at the clock on her nightstand. 3:19. She fumbled through the covers in the dark, searching, sifting through sheets and blankets until she found her phone, which she knew was either in bed with her or plugged in next to her desk. Blinking groggily at the illuminated screen, she quickly dialed his number—the number that Misao had stolen from the physician emergency contact list and entered into Kaoru's "Quick Contacts" list as a joke, but which Kaoru had never called before.

Kenshin woke up with a start to the sound of his phone ringing. Bleary-eyed and thoroughly irritated, he turned and grabbed it roughly from his nightstand, flipping it open without bothering to see who it was…at this hour, it was no doubt someone from the hospital asking him to come in for an emergency consult. He rubbed his left eye absently. "Hello?"

A slight pause. Then: "Kenshin?" The voice sounded apologetic and desperate, all at once. He recognized its owner immediately, and all the remaining sleep immediately drained from his body. "Kaoru?" She had never called him before, and certainly never in the middle of the night without warning. "What happened? What's wrong?" He was already standing, scanning the room for pants to throw on.

Hearing the concern in his voice, Kaoru instantly felt guilty. The faintly rational part of her thought, _why am I bothering him now, at this hour? _It had been nearly a week since the encounter with Enishi at Satsuma Dojo. She thought that things were beginning to feel normal again; she and Misao ate lunch with Aoshi, Kenshin and Sano at the hospital nearly every day, and Kaoru was growing more comfortable with the idea of having a real friendship with all of them. She and Kenshin exchanged meaningful glances every now and then during the day, but the conversations between them remained light-hearted; concerned, he had asked her how she was feeling the next day after the incident, but Kaoru was determined not to dwell on it and made a cheerful reply.

Now, however, in the middle of the night, alone in her bedroom, Kaoru remembered the terror she felt in her dream, and her voice nearly trembled as she spoke. "Nothing…I—I had the most horrible dream." She opened her mouth to continue, but found that no words came out. How could she explain that she was still terrified, and had instinctively, sleepily called Kenshin in a moment of pure vulnerability?

Kenshin paused for a moment, thinking she might continue. He was more than surprised that she had called him, and now that the anxiety of thinking something had happened to her was wearing off, curiosity was getting the better of him. He made an educated guess. "Was it Enishi?"

He was answered with silence, and understood this response to be an affirmative. He also knew, somehow, what he was going to do, even before the thoughts fully formed in his head.

"Look, I know you have Misao, but I think I should come over and make sure you're okay…I remember where you live."

Kaoru blinked. She hadn't even thought of asking him to come over, but the idea sent a warm flood of relief coursing through her shaken self. Normally hesitant to refuse any offer of help, she simply stated, "Yes."

Kenshin hung up the phone; he realized that he didn't have a plan…he had no idea what he was going to say or do to be helpful once he got to Kaoru's house. Things would be so much easier if he could just kill Enishi and be done with it. He felt a little guilty as he scanned his closet for something casual but visually pleasing to throw on; _now isn't the time to think about getting some_, he admonished himself. Still…he quickly chose a fitted gray v-neck tee, casual trousers, and soccer-style track shoes. Kenshin quickly tied his flaming hair back at the base of his neck and grabbed his keys from the desk, where he had left them the day before.

Thirty minutes later, Kaoru was still feeling irrationally nervous. Not about the fact that Kenshin was on his way to check on her, but rather about the fact that Enishi might pop into view at any moment and do something dreadful. At nearly 4:00 in the morning, Kaoru wondered if maybe she was a little nuts. She sat on the living room couch that Misao's parents had given them as a housewarming present and peered out the window, waiting to see his headlights on the road. She could hear the sound of Misao lightly breathing from her bedroom, and took a little comfort in knowing that her best friend was near.

When she finally saw a car pull up to the curb next to her house, Kaoru went quickly to the front door and opened it, not waiting for him to knock. She stood in the doorway and watched as he emerged from what looked like an Audi in the waning moonlight. If she hadn't been so freaked out, Kaoru would have made a mental note to ask him where he got such a fancy toy. She suppressed an urge to rush to him then and there just to close the physical distance between them and rid herself of the fear she couldn't shake.

Kenshin got out of his car, a black Audi A6 that Hiko had bought him as a parting gift when he left Japan for medical school. Looking up, he noticed with surprise that Kaoru was already standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame and looking altogether tired, anxious, and almost childlike in a purple cotton chemise.

He strode quickly forward, his kind but neutral face carefully masking the concern he felt for her, as well as the sheer joy that surged through him at seeing her like this, outside of the hospital, on her terms. She didn't wait for him to speak, but instead threw her arms around his neck and pressed her slender form tightly against him, almost as if in an effort to become part of him. Her actions were motivated by relief and gratitude rather than physical desire, but she nonetheless responded physically to their closeness and immediately felt a little ashamed of it. Kenshin sensed her fear and vulnerability immediately, and wasted no time snaking his arms around her waist and back until she was clasped even more firmly to the taut, hard planes of his chest and stomach.

"Are you going to let anything happen to me?" She breathed, her timid voice a little muffled against his tee shirt.

Kenshin realized with a sense of disturbance, and then anger, how easy it would be to take advantage of Kaoru in this situation. She seemed almost drugged, but rather from her fatigue or fear he couldn't tell. He reached behind his neck and took hold of her small hands, which were still firmly clasped there. He held them firmly between them and gazed at her calmly, reassuringly.

"No."

She noticed that his eyes had that feral look to them again; reflected in the porch light, they almost appeared to be amber-tinged. A few moments passed. Finally, Kaoru spoke again, her voice a little more steady. "Let's go to sleep."


	12. Chapter 12: Tension

Kaoru led Kenshin through the dark house she shared with Misao (who could be heard lightly snoring from her room down the hall), firmly grasping the index finger of his left hand as they carefully made their way past the kitchen, and finally to Kaoru's bedroom. His eyes were still adjusting as she shut the door softly behind her, but he could make out the shape of her double bed a few feet in front of them. The light from her alarm clock gave off a soft green glow, and cast a helpful bit of illumination onto the bedside table and adjacent desk. Kenshin couldn't help but notice all the details of her bedroom that the faint light allowed; the pink backpack propped neatly against the desk chair, the piles of nursing books on the floor, and the pair of beat-up running shoes by the frame of another closed door, which he assumed led to the bathroom.

Kaoru finally released his finger. She looked down and realized that Kenshin's feet were bare on the hardwood floors. Somewhere, he had slipped off his shoes without her noticing it. "Do you need anything?" she asked. "I have water and towels and everything."

Kenshin smiled in the dark; the fierce possessiveness that had overtaken him on the front porch wasn't quite as heady as it had been, but still…Kamiya Kaoru was asking him if he needed a towel at 4:00 in the morning. In her bedroom. Prior to sleeping in her bed, with her actually in it. _Careful_, he reminded himself.

"No thanks, I'm fine…I did all that stuff hours ago." They both chuckled, Kaoru blushing lightly and lifting a small hand to cover her mouth. _Right_, she thought. _The last thing he wants to do at this hour is floss_.

Without knowing what else to say, Kaoru went to her bed and sat, waiting for Kenshin to follow suit. Finally, she offered, "I'm giving you the side closer to the bathroom…it's squishier." After a barely perceptible pause, Kenshin stepped forward and climbed into bed next to her, still fully clothed. "Mm…very squishy," he said politely. Internally, he groaned. _Baka! Very squishy?_

Kaoru settled herself in and snuggled her head into her pillow, pulling the fluffy covers up and around both of them. There were several conflicting thoughts and feelings coursing through her at once. She was still aware of the physical arousal she felt when Kenshin held her firmly against his body on the front porch, and now that she was lying in bed next to him, those feelings were coming back in full force. She also knew that she had called him because of her terrifying dream, and that to initiate any kind of sexual activity with him now would seem suspicious, to say the least. She and Kenshin hadn't even kissed, let alone done anything beyond that. Finally, Kaoru had the insight to realize that she felt completely vulnerable, and that part of why she wanted Kenshin so badly right now was a result of his ability to protect her from the panic and desperation she was experiencing. Still…she turned to face Kenshin, and cautiously wrapped an arm through his, pressing her face to his muscular shoulder in what felt like an attempt to hide from this conflux of desire, confusion, and fear.

For his part, Kenshin was using nearly every ounce of self-restraint he had to lie still and fall asleep. He was well aware that Kaoru felt scared and vulnerable, and he was _not _going to pin her against the bed and ravage her in that state. She needed him to be present, and strong. But Kami…she was _everywhere_. The bed, the whole room…everything smelled of her. She was mere centimeters away from him. He could hear her light, peaceful breathing and imagined the moistness of her lips as she exhaled. As he struggled to maintain control, Kenshin chastised himself and focused on his breathing to quiet his pounding heart.

And then she wrapped her arm through his, took a firm hold of his forearm, and snuggled her body closer, pressing her face against his shoulder.

It was all he could do. Nearly in the same moment as he felt the soft touch of her cheek, Kenshin fluidly shifted onto his side, and slid his arm lower in a steel grip around Kaoru's waist, using his other hand to reach across and lift her head from the pillow to meet his. For some reason, he hadn't expected her to be so light, but he found the action to be nearly effortless. Her dark hair fell back off of her shoulders as she felt herself being lifted, and she instantly reached up to take his face between her hands, even as he lowered his head to meet hers. She couldn't see in the dark; her mouth parted and then she felt his lips on hers with nearly crushing force. She reached up further and held him against her body tightly as they kissed with excruciating passion. He twisted his hands into her hair and thrust his tongue deeply into her hot, small mouth, and a faint whimper escaped from somewhere in the back of Kaoru's throat.

Hearing the noise only inflamed Kenshin further with desire. A low, almost feral growl escaped him as he broke the heated kiss and dipped his head lower to take the flesh of her white neck between his lips. He kissed her firmly, rakishly—all pretense of restraint or politeness totally gone. Gently, Kenshin bit the tender skin and then soothed the area with his tongue, causing Kaoru to reach up and pull his shoulders forward and down, crushing his body against hers.

"Kenshin," she said in a low, need-filled voice. Instinctively, she drew one knee up to drape her leg around his back, bringing him ever closer to her body. Without a second thought, he reached down and firmly gripped her slender, muscular thigh, using it as leverage to grind himself into her, and then slid his rough, well-trained hand up the smooth skin until he had a powerful hold on her hip. Despite himself, he knew that he was quickly losing what little remaining control he had left. Nearly panting with desire, Kenshin forced himself to slow his movements and soften the kisses he was placing all over Kaoru's neck and décolletage.

It took Kaoru a few moments to realize that Kenshin had intentionally slowed their scorching pace. She opened her eyes to see the top of his head in the dark, hovering over her collarbones and gently kissing the area delicately. She placed her fingertips on his warm neck. "Kenshin," she whispered softly. "What's wrong?"

He sighed, then moved to support himself with his arms in order to look directly at Kaoru, even though he couldn't quite make out her deep blue eyes in the pitch dark of her bedroom. After long moments, he finally said: "I can't really believe I'm saying this, but… we need to try to get some sleep. Otherwise, I really can't be held responsible for what could happen."

Suddenly, Kaoru felt ashamed of herself; she knew he was right, and she hadn't meant for things to go this far. "I'm sorry, Kenshin!" she squeaked. "I didn't mean to let things get so out of hand! You just feel so…natural." She didn't really know how else to say it, but it was true: everything about him, from the taste of his mouth, to the feel of his hair brushing against her skin, to the weight of his body on hers, felt incredibly right, and good.

He let out a breath, almost as if he had been holding it, and then turned to lie once again on his own pillow, on his own side of the bed. "Natural…yeah, that's definitely a good way of putting it." Internally, Kenshin's body screamed at him to wrap his hands around Kaoru's slim waist and finish what he had started. But he knew, he _knew_, that she was vulnerable and could easily regret it in the morning. After a while, he let out a low groan. "Jesus, we have the best self-control of anyone in the _world_."

Kaoru reached up to wipe the thin film of perspiration that had collected on her forehead. "Without a doubt."

They lay in bed, side by side, listening to the sound of the breeze outside. After a while, Kenshin could hear soft breathing next to him, and he knew Kaoru was finally asleep. For now, it was enough.


	13. Chapter 13: The Morning After

"Uggghnnnn." Kaoru let out a very un-ladylike groan as she stretched out in bed and turned her back towards the bright morning sunshine streaming in from her bedroom window. She let her arm flop out straight in front of her, and was vaguely surprised when it smacked against a hard lump next to her in the bed. She was almost too comfortable and sleepy to care much, but she deigned to open one eye to see what was obstructing her movement. She suddenly snapped into wakefulness when her gaze was met by a shock of dark red hair hovering above her Hello Kitty duvet.

Kenshin. Last night…he had stayed over. He had attacked her, powerful male jaws grinding furiously against her small mouth as if his life depended upon claiming it for his own. Absentmindedly, she reached up and touched her own jaw. It actually felt…a little sore. Her lips felt every so slightly tender, as if they had been kissed into swollenness. Kaoru blushed a deep shade of red at the thought of what had transpired just a few short hours ago. What would happen if her professors found out about any of this? What was Misao going to say? She could almost hear her best friend squealing with delight. And more importantly, had Kaoru asked Kenshin to stay over for the right reasons? She had wanted to feel safe, protected…but was she ready to be with a man again, to let herself be vulnerable after how Enishi had treated her?

Almost as if he could feel her eyes boring into the back of his head, Kenshin stirred, then turned over slowly in the bed to face Kaoru. His heavy-lidded gaze fell onto her, revealing pale amethyst eyes that reflected the morning light. He smiled a small smile that seemed to suggest both uncertainty and total contentment. "Good morning," he said softly.

"Good morning," Kaoru replied, smiling sheepishly. She glanced at the clock on her nightstand. "Or rather, good afternoon. It's already almost lunchtime! I'm sorry I didn't wake up sooner." She cast her eyes down, avoiding eye contact with Kenshin.

Kenshin immediately sensed her discomfort and thought better of reaching out and taking Kaoru into his arms, even though he was fully aroused at the mere sight of her lying next to him, dark hair tousled against the pillow. "You don't need to be sorry. We both had a pretty long night." He chuckled softly at the racy implication of his words that he really hadn't intended to convey.

Kaoru cleared her throat rather unnaturally. "Uh…yes. Last night was…thank you for coming over on such short notice, Kenshin. I'm sorry for being such a baby, just because of a stupid dream. I really hadn't intended to throw myself at you, but when you kissed me, things kind of got out of hand. Gomen."

Kenshin had sat up straight as she began speaking so that he could sit cross-legged and face her fully. His eyes went wide with surprise as he listened to her words of apology. As she finished speaking, he nearly cut off her last few words by reaching forward to take hold of her upper arms in his powerful, calloused hands and pull her towards him to draw her closer to his face, his eyes.

"Kaoru, what are you saying?" He asked, almost in disbelief. He shook his head slightly. "How can you lay there and _apologize _for last night? Don't you know by now that I would do _anything _for you? That last night was arguably the most amazing night of my _life_?" He pulled her even closer so that her face was very near his. She could see the feeling in his face, the sincerity in his voice. His eyes searched her own longingly, softly shining with what she felt could only be the beginnings of Love. But…she was so _scared_.

"Kenshin…" Kaoru breathed softly. He dipped his head lower and took her lips between his. This time, his kiss was soft and unbelievably tender. He took his time, drawing his mouth over her own slowly, and using his hands to gently caress her hair, the hollow of her neck, and her collarbones. From deep within her, Kaoru felt a small moan escape her throat. Kenshin's mouth curved up into a small, almost feral smile. He broke their kiss and pressed his forehead against hers, taking her face into his hands.

"Be mine," He whispered. "I'll take care of you, Kaoru…I would never let anything happen to you. _All I want _is to be with you."

Her insides felt warm and slightly gelatinous. It would be so easy to nod in assent and fall back into bed with Kenshin, forgetting the world and the fact that they worked together, that he was in fact her attending resident physician and her superior, that Dr. Takani would most likely kill her when she found out, that her professors might expel her if they knew she was dating a co-worker, and that Enishi was capable of…just about anything, if he knew that Kenshin and Kaoru were officially a couple.

_Enishi_…she suddenly thought back to their last evening alone together. He had had too much to drink, as usual, and was trying to pick a fight with her about something trivial. Reaching the end of her patience, Kaoru had determined to break up with Enishi once and for all, and told him as much. She was in the process of stooping down to pick up her purse, when she heard something go sailing past her head. Enishi had hurled his glass of scotch at her and missed on purpose, so that it smashed against the wall just beside her, spraying her with the fragrant liquor. Kaoru gasped and reflexively went stiff. Enishi reached her in two long strides and wedged his body between her and the door, effectively blocking her way out of his condo. He looked crazed, as though he couldn't decide whether to cry or scream with rage.

"You can't leave me," he half-pleaded. "You can't. I didn't do anything wrong. If I got mad, it's only because you were goading me. I need you, Kaoru. Please sit back down. Everything will be okay."

Finding her courage, Kaoru stared at him coldly. "You're in my way," she stated between gritted teeth. She adjusted her purse on her shoulder and crossed her arms, looking expectant.

Enishi's face went dangerously flat for a moment, and then resumed its crazed look. "NO!" He screamed, flinging an arm out in front of him. The flat of his hand struck Kaoru full in the mouth, knocking her backwards onto the industrial concrete of the modern apartment. Her mouth instantly filled with a metallic taste that she recognized all too well, and she absent-mindedly tilted her head so that the blood seeping from her lips would drip onto floor, and not down her chin and neck. She lay still, wondering what would happen next. Was he finished? Did she need to get up and prepare do defend herself?

But Enishi backed away, and let out a blood-curdling scream. "It's YOUR FAULT!" he cried. "You make me so angry when you try to leave! Kaoru, you belong to ME!" In a flash, he savagely head-butted the wall in front of him, crying out again in anger and pain. Stunned from the blow, he sank to his knees and was finally still. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply.

_Now's my chance, _Kaoru had thought. Enishi was a master swordsman with finely honed senses, but Kaoru could make herself invisible if she wanted to. She deftly stood, raced towards the front door, and hurtled herself towards her car as fast as she could run, not daring to look back. Later on, as she thought back on that evening, she wasn't even sure whether Enishi had pursued her or not. She just kept running, and then driving, as fast as she could.

Kaoru snapped back to reality. She found that she was trembling slightly at the memory of that last night with her ex-boyfriend, and the memory of the final blow that had sent her sprawling onto the floor. It was to be the last of many, but it certainly hadn't been the worst. She looked to Kenshin again, who was watching her intently. She wanted so badly to trust him with her body, and maybe even her heart. But Enishi had made her feel this way too, once…he had smiled at her charmingly and kissed her with a passion that made her feel weak.

Kaoru sighed. "Kenshin, I'm sorry…I'm just not ready. I can't bear the thought of being hurt again." Without waiting for a reply, she pulled herself away from his gentle grasp and stood up, hurrying towards the bathroom and shutting the door softly behind her.

Kenshin felt as if he had been punched in the gut. A few moments later, the shower tap turned on, and as he strained to listen with his own well-tuned senses, he thought he heard the sound of muffled sobs.


End file.
